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Basin Street Blues

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Many critics believe Louis Armstrong's best work was limited to the innovative 1920s recordings with the Hot Fives and Hot Sevens. This recording shows that decades later, in 1956 and 1957, he was still a phenomenal live entertainer.

Louis is joined on stage by the All Stars, originally formed in 1947, with an ever changing lineup that at the time of these recordings consisted of Trummy Young on trombone, Ed Hall on clarinet, Billy Kyle on piano, Dale Jones on bass and Barrett Deems on drums.

The disc is set up to sound like it was a recording of a concert one night--although it is a compilation recorded over several nights. It opens with Armstrong's signature tune When It's Sleepy Time Down South, after which Louis does his traditional audience greeting. Then the band swings through some of the old favorites, including Indiana, a roaring version of Basin Street Blues, the finely played Struttin' with Some Barbecue, the nostalgic Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans, the upbeat On the Sunny Side of the Street, and the classic When the Saints Go Marching In.

While Armstrong's years of helping to create a new American art form may have long passed, his trumpet playing and singing were never more able to please a crowd. His years of nonstop touring during this period helped cement his reputation as genius and American icon.