Louis Armstrong : Live in '59

Considering that he was the finest and most influential jazz musician of all time (not to mention arguably the greatest musician of the 20th century, period, with apologies to Ellington, Stravinsky, the Beatles, and others), any opportunity to see Louis Armstrong perform is a beautiful thing; when the performance is as good as this one, it's positively a blessing. Filmed in black and white in Belgium in 1959 (and presented here in an excellent transfer and digital monaural audio), this gig finds the trumpeter blowin', singin', and swingin' in the company of his regular band at that time. Not only are they all good players (particularly trombonist Trummy Young, clarinetist Michael "Peanuts" Hucko, and drummer Danny Barcelona), they're having a swell time, as is the audience. (As the informative accompanying 16-page booklet points out, Satchmo was an entertainer as well as a musician, whose constant mugging and hamming—leading to accusations of "Uncle Tomming," not to mention the contrary stance adopted by Miles Davis, who would literally turn his back on his listeners—were in keeping with his philosophy that "the music ain't worth nothing if you can't lay it on the public.") The 13-song set list is a virtual primer in Dixieland and early jazz, including "When It's Sleepy Time Down South," the raucous "Tiger Rag," the silly but fun "Now You Has Jazz" (from the film High Society), the inevitable but welcome "Mack the Knife" and "When the Saints Go Marching In," and the saucy "St. Louis Blues," with Louis trading salacious innuendos with singer Velma Middleton. Cited in the notes as the only complete Armstrong performance ever recorded on film, this entry in the Jazz Icons series—which includes volumes devoted to Chet Baker, Count Basie, Art Blakey, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Buddy Rich, and Thelonius Monk—is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (S. Graham)