Louis Armstrong and Friends: "When The Saints Go Marching In"
I'm afraid I'm a little bit at a loss for words on this one… What do you say about a man who is the beginning and end of all things Jazz? I'm sure that even the most musically illiterate kids know who "Satchmo" is. But as much as I know about him, I keep discovering new things myself.
All I'm going to say is that if you have even a passing interest in Jazz, you absolutely need Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens recordings. And of his later records, the affectionate tributes to W.C. Handy and Fats Waller are standouts.
Armstrong was known as the "Ambassador of Jazz". His trumpet continues to represent it well, and continues to speak to everyone… even those of us who are far removed from New Orleans in the early part of the 20th century, where the greatest American artistic achievement began. Louis Armstrong IS Jazz.
