Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy

Louis Armstrong & His All Stars | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: March 25, 1997
• Label: Legacy/Columbia
• Copyright: (P) Originally Released 1954 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
• Total Length: 1:16:31
• Genres:
• ASIN: B001UC196Q
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,101 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One seminal figure in music pays tribute to another, April 6, 2002

By 

Elizabeth Rosenthal - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (Audio CD)

The enormously cheerful, eager-to-please persona of Louis Armstrong often overshadows his musical appeal to much of the general public. But we wouldn't know about his smiling face nor overactive white handkerchief nor wildly popular performance of a lesser song, "What A Wonderful World," if it weren't for his groundbreaking singing style. And we wouldn't know about his groundbreaking singing style if it weren't for Armstrong's groundbreaking trumpet playing. For me, his trumpet playing provides his chief appeal, but putting his playing and singing together makes for quite an experience! This CD, then, Satchmo's tribute to early blues composer W. C. Handy, provides the listener with the best of both worlds. In addition to Armstrong's spirited, vigorous interpretations of Handy's invaluable contribution to Americana, the listener gets some "bonus tracks" not on the original vinyl-- an interview with the ageing Handy about Satchmo, and various highly entertaining outtakes. If you want to know what makes Louis Armstrong the enduring legend he's become, get this CD first!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Defining Louis Armstrong, June 11, 2001

By 

Robert B Swanson (Newport Beach, California USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (Audio CD)

I bought this album as an LP in the early 1950's; It was one of the first LP's ever pressed, as I recall, and that is significant for lots of reasons. Mainly, not only was the sound better than 78 RPM records, the tracks could be as long as 30 minutes, allowing jazz to be heard as it really is/was, rather than limited to just 3-4 minutes.

Anyway, at the time I thought it was one of the best recordings I'd ever heard, and I still do. Louis was singing with Velma Middleton, Trummy Young was on trombone, and Barny Bigard at clarinet. This is the Louis Armstrong group at its peak, on this album.

As well as "modern" in its jazz interpretations and styling, "St. Louis Blues" is a double entendre, as Louis indeed approaches jazz sainthood on this track. The album has been remastered allowing better sound than even my new LP did, with Louis' vibratos and harmonics never in better evidence. The track also has what I consider to be the greatest short trombone solo ever made, by Trummy Young. You'll think he is playing a straight through steel pack muffler instead of a trombone, with a power and elegance no other T-bone player ever acheived.

The other tracks are all equally well done, and "Chantez Les Bas" is about as good as New Orleans jazz can get, again with Louis's scat and Trummy's Tbone well nigh perfect. "Long Gone" is funny and swings as only Louis can. His singing on all tracks is not only extremely high quality, it reveals Louis temperament and personality, and his back-and-forth with Velma shows that he never forgot he was a man's man as well as a gentleman.

If you want only one Louis Armstrong album, and want the best, this is the one. A true classic.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Louis never sounded better, November 26, 2000

By 

R. J. Marsella (California) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (Audio CD)

This CD sounds wonderful! LIke it was recorded yesterday. The playing and the vocals are energetic and very bluesy. This is the Louis Armstrong CD for blues lovers. The classic St. Louis Blues is the best version I've ever heard. Great pick.