LOUIS ARMSTRONG - The Compete Satchmo Plays King Oliver
Essential Jazz Classics EJC55684 (2 CD Set)
CD One The Master Takes & CD Two The Alternative Takes tracks 1 to 10
Louis Armstrong ( tpt / vocal ) Trummy Young ( tmb ) Peanuts Hucko ( clt ) Billy Kyle ( pno ) Mort Herbert ( bass ) Danny Barcelona ( drs )
Recorded Los Angeles 30 September & 1 & 2 October 1959
Bonus Tracks
CD 1 15 to 21
Recordings of King Oliver compositions made in 55-57 by Louis Armstrongs & his All Stars
CD 2 TRTACKS 11-18 Previous versions made by Louis Armstrongon some of the tunes from the LP recorded between1926 & 1950
This album deserves to be placed on the shelf alongside “Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy” and “Satch Plays Fats” and in some aspects is superior to both of them.
Trummy Young can at times be a little over the top but on this recording his playing is much more contained and is much more relaxed because of this. Peanuts Hucko is a more than adequate replacement for Barney Bigard and his solos spice up the overall sound of the group.
The bonus tracks on CD Two add little to the overall appeal of the album but the other bonus tracks are much more interesting.
It is apparent from the opening track on Disc One, “St James Infirmary” that Louis is in good form and spirits, his opening statement on trumpet is majestic and his vocal continues in the same vein.
I Ain’t Got Nobody” is a tune that could have been written Louis and the group it fits them well the whole group are in top form and Louis’s vocal is a gem.
There’s a slightly different take on the old favourite “Frankie and Johnny”, Billy Kyle chooses to use a barrel house backing to Louis vocal and makes a refreshing to such a well known number.
These fourteen tracks from the original album, “Satchmo Plays King Oliver” have Louis playing and singing with great verve along with some splendid work by Edmond Hall and Trummy Young.
This is probably Louis last great period before he became a household name with the general public.
The first three bonus tracks have the same front line but have Yank Lawson as second trumpet which fills out the ensemble. All three tracks are played with great verve with louis soaring over the whole band, Edmond Hall plays with fire and Trummy Young gravitates back to his rasping style.
The two tracks that have Louis with the Dukes of Dixieland and Louis sounds rela which may or may notxed not having the pressure of being the leader, Jerry Fuller’s fine c;arinet playing is a added bonus.
The 1955 version of “West End Blues” retains the 1928 intro and the whole band sound inspired by the Italian audience.
The first ten tracks on Disc Two are taken up with alternative takes of the original CD “Satchmo Plays King Oliver” which may or may not interest the general listener, I suspect that many people listen to them once and possibly never play them again.
The balance of the Disc is completed by Louis recordings before 1930 and include old favourites such as “Weather Bird”, “West End Blues” and “Big Butter and Egg Man” which makes this an interesting release and gives a snapshot of Louis at various stages of his career.
If you don’t already have these tracks I urge you to purchase it as there is a wealth of great music on these two CDs.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
Essential Jazz Classics EJC55684 (2 CD Set)
CD One The Master Takes & CD Two The Alternative Takes tracks 1 to 10
Louis Armstrong ( tpt / vocal ) Trummy Young ( tmb ) Peanuts Hucko ( clt ) Billy Kyle ( pno ) Mort Herbert ( bass ) Danny Barcelona ( drs )
Recorded Los Angeles 30 September & 1 & 2 October 1959
Bonus Tracks
CD 1 15 to 21
Recordings of King Oliver compositions made in 55-57 by Louis Armstrongs & his All Stars
CD 2 TRTACKS 11-18 Previous versions made by Louis Armstrongon some of the tunes from the LP recorded between1926 & 1950
This album deserves to be placed on the shelf alongside “Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy” and “Satch Plays Fats” and in some aspects is superior to both of them.
Trummy Young can at times be a little over the top but on this recording his playing is much more contained and is much more relaxed because of this. Peanuts Hucko is a more than adequate replacement for Barney Bigard and his solos spice up the overall sound of the group.
The bonus tracks on CD Two add little to the overall appeal of the album but the other bonus tracks are much more interesting.
It is apparent from the opening track on Disc One, “St James Infirmary” that Louis is in good form and spirits, his opening statement on trumpet is majestic and his vocal continues in the same vein.
I Ain’t Got Nobody” is a tune that could have been written Louis and the group it fits them well the whole group are in top form and Louis’s vocal is a gem.
There’s a slightly different take on the old favourite “Frankie and Johnny”, Billy Kyle chooses to use a barrel house backing to Louis vocal and makes a refreshing to such a well known number.
These fourteen tracks from the original album, “Satchmo Plays King Oliver” have Louis playing and singing with great verve along with some splendid work by Edmond Hall and Trummy Young.
This is probably Louis last great period before he became a household name with the general public.
The first three bonus tracks have the same front line but have Yank Lawson as second trumpet which fills out the ensemble. All three tracks are played with great verve with louis soaring over the whole band, Edmond Hall plays with fire and Trummy Young gravitates back to his rasping style.
The two tracks that have Louis with the Dukes of Dixieland and Louis sounds rela which may or may notxed not having the pressure of being the leader, Jerry Fuller’s fine c;arinet playing is a added bonus.
The 1955 version of “West End Blues” retains the 1928 intro and the whole band sound inspired by the Italian audience.
The first ten tracks on Disc Two are taken up with alternative takes of the original CD “Satchmo Plays King Oliver” which may or may not interest the general listener, I suspect that many people listen to them once and possibly never play them again.
The balance of the Disc is completed by Louis recordings before 1930 and include old favourites such as “Weather Bird”, “West End Blues” and “Big Butter and Egg Man” which makes this an interesting release and gives a snapshot of Louis at various stages of his career.
If you don’t already have these tracks I urge you to purchase it as there is a wealth of great music on these two CDs.
Reviewed by Roy Booth
