Yes, it's a sign of maturity that you have come to listening terms with pops. I'll just note that I've long said if all of recorded jazz disappeared and we had to rebuild from scratch, the armstrong/ellington would be the foundation stone.
Great piece! Armstrong is one of those foundational artists where you don’t have to love everything he did, but it’s likely that you find him where you need him, as you did. For me, Ella & Louis is purely sublime, a top 10 vocal jazz album and my favorite Fitzgerald on record. But I’m going to check out those sessions you mentioned - maybe they’ll hit me where I live, too!
I enjoyed this piece, and I’m lock-step with you on this one. Some of our tunes vary, but the sentiment is the same. For example, I heard my first Armstrong song, We Have All the Time in the World, in my basement in the 1970s watching the Bond flick On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Then in high school I heard Chuck Mangione’s Feels So Good a lot on the radio. That’s where I was at – mellow trumpet. As I moved on, screeching trumpets like I’d hear on Kenton tunes or the early Armstrong stuff kind of was like nails on a chalkboard. A little further on, I liked Frankie Newton more than Armstrong for a long time and still might. But now, I acknowledge, as you do, Armstrong’s influence and greatness. Over the years I’ve even warmed up to the early stuff.
I'll still take his 1940 Lazy 'Sippi Steamer over his 1929 West End Blues.
So I kind of discovered him backwards, as is often the case with musicians on that Big River called Jazz.
The “W. C. Handy” and “…Plays Fats” albums were among the first five albums I owned in the mid-Fifties. I still love them. The greatest Louis Armstrong album for me is “Satchmo At Symphony Hall” from 1947. “What Did I Do To Be Do Black And Blue” is unforgettable, and the playing and singing of Jack Teagarden on trombone is extraordinary.
Personally, my favorite Armstrong record is the one he did with Ellington. The songs are all great (no novelty tunes), the rhythm section is swinging, and of course he's playing with Ellington. The recording itself is excellent, and this is important because one of the things that was so startling about Armstrong is just the quality of his sound, and this really comes through on the record. Listen to "C Jam Blues" to get a sense of how powerful a soloist he was.
While the Hot Fives and Hot Sevens are of unquestionable historical significance, it's effectively impossible for a modern listener to truly connect with this music. It's literally almost 100 years old, and none of us are from that time or culture so we don't feel that musical language instinctively. It's like reading Chaucer or Edmund Spenser -- sure, you can read the words (with a lot of editorial help), but it's never going to resonate the way that it would for a contemporary listener.
When I was young—and I am over 70 now—I REALLY didn’t get Billie Holiday. Reedy little voice, not much range. Then one day I did.
I’ve never been much interested in Louis one way or the other—except historically and especially because he put his career on the line to confront racism in the 1950’s. Your piece tells me there is much more I need to learn about him.
Thelonious! Still can't understand how I didn't like him when I wastwenty.
Wait: you don't like "weatherbird?!"
Yes, it's a sign of maturity that you have come to listening terms with pops. I'll just note that I've long said if all of recorded jazz disappeared and we had to rebuild from scratch, the armstrong/ellington would be the foundation stone.
Another great piece, Phil!
Great piece! Armstrong is one of those foundational artists where you don’t have to love everything he did, but it’s likely that you find him where you need him, as you did. For me, Ella & Louis is purely sublime, a top 10 vocal jazz album and my favorite Fitzgerald on record. But I’m going to check out those sessions you mentioned - maybe they’ll hit me where I live, too!
I enjoyed this piece, and I’m lock-step with you on this one. Some of our tunes vary, but the sentiment is the same. For example, I heard my first Armstrong song, We Have All the Time in the World, in my basement in the 1970s watching the Bond flick On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Then in high school I heard Chuck Mangione’s Feels So Good a lot on the radio. That’s where I was at – mellow trumpet. As I moved on, screeching trumpets like I’d hear on Kenton tunes or the early Armstrong stuff kind of was like nails on a chalkboard. A little further on, I liked Frankie Newton more than Armstrong for a long time and still might. But now, I acknowledge, as you do, Armstrong’s influence and greatness. Over the years I’ve even warmed up to the early stuff.
I'll still take his 1940 Lazy 'Sippi Steamer over his 1929 West End Blues.
So I kind of discovered him backwards, as is often the case with musicians on that Big River called Jazz.
The “W. C. Handy” and “…Plays Fats” albums were among the first five albums I owned in the mid-Fifties. I still love them. The greatest Louis Armstrong album for me is “Satchmo At Symphony Hall” from 1947. “What Did I Do To Be Do Black And Blue” is unforgettable, and the playing and singing of Jack Teagarden on trombone is extraordinary.
I really enjoyed this piece.
Personally, my favorite Armstrong record is the one he did with Ellington. The songs are all great (no novelty tunes), the rhythm section is swinging, and of course he's playing with Ellington. The recording itself is excellent, and this is important because one of the things that was so startling about Armstrong is just the quality of his sound, and this really comes through on the record. Listen to "C Jam Blues" to get a sense of how powerful a soloist he was.
While the Hot Fives and Hot Sevens are of unquestionable historical significance, it's effectively impossible for a modern listener to truly connect with this music. It's literally almost 100 years old, and none of us are from that time or culture so we don't feel that musical language instinctively. It's like reading Chaucer or Edmund Spenser -- sure, you can read the words (with a lot of editorial help), but it's never going to resonate the way that it would for a contemporary listener.
I didn’t see that coming, Phil.
When I was young—and I am over 70 now—I REALLY didn’t get Billie Holiday. Reedy little voice, not much range. Then one day I did.
I’ve never been much interested in Louis one way or the other—except historically and especially because he put his career on the line to confront racism in the 1950’s. Your piece tells me there is much more I need to learn about him.