Finally available: the complete recordings of Louis Armstrong with the Dukes of Dixieland of 1959-60!

In June 1959 saw Louis Armstrong's music career a first decisive turning point: While touring in Italy overtook him a first severe heart attack that forced him to stay in hospital, concert cancellation and interruption of his musical activity - and the same time the beginning of the physical and health decline over the next to 12 years up to his Toder 1971 marked what increasingly forced him to reductions in his trumpet playing. (It is known that he had to almost completely abandon the last two years of his life due to advanced heart failure on his trumpet and could only act as a singer.)

It is astounding is that it almost 3 months later, not only was back in the recording studio, but there was able to afford even for his recording career standout: In August 1959, prior to the label "Audio Fidelity", one of the early pioneers of stereo LPs, together with the white band "Dukes of Dixieland" in the studio. These sessions - for the first Armstong in Stereo - were continued in September / October 1959 and his All Stars In May 1960, again with the Dukes of Dixieland.
Highlighting value at these recording sessions is three things:
1. All three sessions in common is the thematic return to the early years of jazz. So Armstrong tied to a certain extent on the last recordings of 1958 - some of the title for the album "I Love Jazz", and in particular the recording of the soundtrack for the movie Red Nichols Story "The Five Pennies" (with which the Armstrong among others old vaudeville song from 1902 "Bill Bailey" helped to a rebirth, which was then also included in the 1959 Dukes of Dixieland studio sessions with). However, were unlike the legendary, unfortunately recorded even in mono music project "Satchmo's Musical Autobiography" of 1956/57 not Armstongs added own early hits and contributions to jazz history again, but mainly other classics of Dixieland and New Orleans Jazz - measured what quite obviously stimulated to his daily routine in the 50s / 60s so comparatively fresh and suitable material for him it to new excellence. It's impressive to see how the almost 60 year old Satchmo at this item in turn could create Timeless, Refined.
2. There are not only Armstrong's first stereo albums, but also beyond sound technology really masterly been done: Rarely is Armstrong's trumpet fuller and better absorbed than was the Master Takes these sessions (what the medical history is amazing angsichts twice).
3. Musically makes Armstrong in these photographs again really big: His horn sounds still radiant and sometimes virtuoso, but there are often - relaxed and beautiful - the quiet and resting in itself moments in the foreground, with which you look at the core of New Orleans music approaches. (This is especially true for the 1959 All Stars session.)

Conclusion: Overall, include Aunfahmen the best that Armstong has received since its Hot-five days. Very little of what to include in the remaining years, reached this quality again.
In particular, its management has failed to allow him to play in more "concept albums" with adequate, worthy material. (So ​​you can such the 1964 album "Hello Dolly", as well as this may be, not really describe, and "Satchmo plays Disney" from 1968 and the Western-album from 1970 are rather nice curiosities as real highlights of the Jazz. And the "Reunion" album with Duke Ellington in 1961 Armstong was not in the best of health form, which is unfortunately audible.)
This is a more and more amazing bigger failure than at the same time Ella and Sinatra with such albums timeless "Standard" first created; the singer Louis Armstrong could certainly contribute here ...
Instead, after much remained fragmentary and random in its henceforth dominated by musicals and secondary days hits record work (although - astonishingly, one might add - its biggest commercial successes in the form of "Hello Dolly", "Mame" and "What a Wonderful World" come should).

So the three audio Fidelety Sessions one of the last highlights of his work records remain in any case.

From the outset, the title of this session were never published in full:
The "Master Takes" all 12 of the titles of the 1960 sessions were published on the Audio Fidelity LP "LOUIE AND THE DUKES OF DIXIELAND" (1960); later the Audio Fidelity LP "THE DEFINITIVE ALBUM BY LOUIS ARMSTRONG" by containing the "Master Takes" of 10 of a total of 13 well-established title with the Dukes of Dixieland. Also in 1960 came the Audio Fidelity LP "SATCHMO PLAY King Oliver", which the "Master Takes" of 12 of a total of 14 well-established title with the All Stars 1959 contained.
The lack of title ("Bye and bye", "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen" and "Muskrat Ramble" from the 1959 session of the Dukes of Dixieland, "Snake Rag" and "New Orleans Stomp" from the 1959 session of the All Stars) initially remained unpublished, as some also very listenable "Alternative Takes" (8 out of the All Star Session, 9 out of 1959, 11 out of the 1960 session with the Dukes of Dixieland, making a total of 28 shots). This was for the record with the Dukes of Dixieland after Armstrong's death on the Chiaroscuro label rescheduled (LP "SWEETHEART - DEFINITIVE ALTERNATIVES" = Alternative Takes the 1959 sessions, LP "GREAT ALTERNATIVE" = Alternative Takes the 1960 sessions).

From then floated these recordings through various editions on LP and later CD, mainly on the cheap labels in department store junk, often shortened in poor sound quality, mislabeled, never complete. The tonqualitativ loving Edition was the - also incomplete - double LP "Portrait Louis Armstrong" by Bellaphon 1977th
Basically not changed this by the 3 CDs ("Bourbon St. Parade", "Limehouse Blues" and "Doctor Jazz"), which were brought out in an orderly sound quality in 1997 by the label Blue Moon: The above 3 missing tracks with the Dukes of Dixieland were here as we left out all alternative takes. A carefully edited Complete Edition of recordings missing continue.

Finally, in 2002 brought the label Fuel 2000 Records with the CD "Satchmo Plays King Oliver" the tonqualitativ excellent total output of 1959 All Star Session out - with all the titles and all alternative takes.

And with the present 3-CD album "The Complete Louis Armstong and the Dukes of Dixieland" now closes (2007) the label Essential Jazz Classics the gap and is - finally - a well-edited Complete Edition also the sessions of Satchmo with the Dukes of Dixieland available: All 20 Alternative Takes (which are apparently partially preserved only in slightly weaker tone quality) are included as well as the three above primarily unreleased tracks, especially the first time published on CD recording of "Muskrat Ramble". Worth mentioning is also the consistently good sound quality and the fact that in addition to Notes to reissue the liner notes of all 4 original LPs are printed in the booklet. Unfortunately still unusual - - title sequence, in which only all Master Takes largely depends mainly follow on CD3, all alternative takes that non-collectors and not primarily interested in history listener CDs in original LP sequence and finally allowed can listen enjoyment. (You do not have to fight through by three takes of the same title in succession itself.)

Individual titles single out, is difficult at this quality. Overall, the Dukes of Dixieland prove far more than just a willing companion volume, but rather as adäqaute partners. The lilting duet of Satchmo with Frank Assunto on trumpet and vocals over the most famous nightlife district of New Orleans, the "Bourbon Street Parade", also stands out we Neufnahme the rather soft, old favorite title of Armstrong, "Sweethearts on Parade", the Satchmo 1930 recorded for the first time and at the turn Frankie Assunto assisted as a singing partner. "I is not gonna give ..." is completely different but equally good as the version a few weeks later with the All Stars. The charming quiet version of "Nobody knows" brings compared with the two classic versions of Armstrong in 1938 and 1958 completely new nuances to light. With "South" and "Dixie" from the total of brilliant-sounding 1960 Session Armstrong brings two old mid-tempo Trad jazz classics in a manner to be heard, as if they have always been to his standard repertoire. Also "Limehouse Blues" (unfortunately without vocals) and "Avalon" are interesting even to hear from Armstrong. The other up-tempo numbers are worth listening to, and offer much more than Dixieland everyday fare. The intro to "Sheik of Araby", in which Armstrong's trumpet shines through a trombone-tuba Obligato is, in itself a classic. The rarely heard, reflective Hoagy Carmichael composition "New Orleans" fits like rarely another piece to Armstrong.
Probably the most beautiful recording, however, is "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" which played often at the Funerals in old New Orleans (followed Armstrong seems lively and warmly here to remember). The roughly four minutes are for me the best moments on record that Armstrong has ever produced. Above the quiet horn section and the deep, dormant (tuba-like) Helicon and the soulful fill-ins by Frank Assunto's trumpet Armstong sings completely unpretentious, but full of emotion the old Spiritual before it leads to the radiant finale with his trumpet. Long live New Orleans! ...

Recommendation:
Urgent purchase recommendation (preferably the same, together with the above-mentioned CD "Satchmo Plays King Oliver") !!
For the collector and connoisseur Armstrong This is already an indispensable item - but also the newcomers to the world of the New Orleans Jazz is well served with these albums, not least because it no acoustic barriers historic recordings sees itself exposed.