If you want to know the who’s, what’s, why’s, when’s and where’s of the trumpet, AVID Records has just reissued some 2 cd sets that are going to put you onto the Yellow Brick Road on the way to the Land of Oz.
The two double cd sets dedicated to Louis Armstrong need to be purchased together. That’s because the first set makes up the first 3 albums of the historically and musically enjoyable musical autobiography of Louis Armstrong, and the second set includes the last remaining lp from that iconic collection. With brief, interesting and insightful reminisces, Satchmo brigns brief spoken introductions to his songs like “Dippermouth Blues,” “Cornet Chop Suey “ and “Potato Head Blues” while performing them with a stellar team of Yank Lawson/tp, George Barnes-Everett Barksdale/g, Hilton Jefferson-George Dorsey-George Dorsey/alt, Seldon Powell-Lucky Thompson(!)-ts and Dave McRae/bari on thiese mid fifty sessions. The material is performed in an inspiring fashion, and Amstrong’s vocals throughout are some of the most wonderful sounds to ever come into 20th Century Western Civilization.
The Second Set also includes a tribute to King Oliver from a cooking little 1959 session with his working team of Peanuts Hucko/cl, Trummy Young/tbn, Billie Kyle/p, Mort Herbert/b and Danny Barcelona/dr. A take of “St. James Infirmary” will make your hair stand on end, while you’ll have great time swinging to “Bug Butter and Egg Man.” The last disc is the ringer of ringers, as it has Armstrong with his regular team as well as Nickie Tagg on the church organ and a vocal choir arranged by Sy Oliver that goes through some WAILING versions of church spirituals. “Go Down Moses” will definitely part the Red Sea, while you might take a chariot with Elijah on “Swing Low” and “On My Way.” I’ve been playing this album for the past 20+ years every Sunday before I go to church, and few things get me more in the mood for God’s word than the testimony of Brother Satch. A real Sunday treat!!!
The third disc captures Miles Davis at one of the zeniths of his career-his 3 collaborations with big band icon Gil Evans from 1957-59. These three essentials changed the sound of jazz forever and made Davis’ vulnerable horn sound the standard by which all other trumpet players were measured. The 57 Miles Ahead includes the standards “The Maides of Cadiz,” “My Ship,” “The Duke’ and “Blues For Pablo” with some luscious meldings of trumpets, flutes, french horns and tubas as well as the regular rhythm team of Paul Chambers/b, Wynton Kelley/o and Art Taylor-Philly Joe Jones/dr. You’ll never grow tired of this one. Ditto for the 58 Porgy and Bess, which includes the gorgeously hued “Summertime” that a myriad of artists have tried to replicate in terms of tone and style. The 1959 Sketches of Spain caught everyone by surprise with it’s Iberian themes as well as Davis’ introduction of Rodrigo’s “Concierto De Aranjuez” to the jazz world. That and the exotic dance of “Solea” make this a session that you’ll never want off your rotation. As a bonus, the sound track to the French film Ascenseur Pour L’Echafaud is included, which fits in extremely well. It’s only 25 minutes long, so it can’t be jsutified being bought on it’s own, but it works here, as Davis’ horn is in perfect form as he dances around with ex-pat Kenny Clarke/dr as well as locals Pierre Michelot/b, Rene Urteger/p and Barney Wilen/ts for music that ranges from film noir moody (“Generizue”) to white knuckle cruising (“Sur L’Autoroute”). A real treat!
AVID Music