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Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy | 
| Artist: Louis Armstrong
Label: Sony Jazz
Category: Music
List Price: £6.99
Buy New: £4.87
You Save: £2.12 (30%)
New (16) Used (1) from £3.31
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 24903
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
EAN: 5099706492528
ASIN: B000024F6E
Release Date: April 7, 1997
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Tracks:
| • | St Louis Blues | | • | Yellow Dog Blues | | • | Loveless Love | | • | Aunt Hagar's Blues | | • | Louis Armstrong Monologue | | • | Long Gone (2) | | • | Memphis Blues (Or Mister Crump) | | • | Beale Street Blues | | • | Ole Miss | | • | Chantez Les Bas (Sing 'em Low) | | • | Hesitating Blues | | • | Atlanta Blues (Make Me One Pallet On Your Foot) | | • | Interview With WC Handy | | • | Loveless Love (2) | | • | Hesitating Blues (2) | | • | Louis Armstrong's Alligator Story | | • | Long Gone |
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| Editorial Reviews:
From Amazon.com
A wonderful meeting of two institutions of American music, this 1954 album was the finest recording of Louis Armstrong's later career, with the great trumpeter-singer turning to material that was very close to his roots. Both W.C. Handy and Armstrong had a complex relationship with the blues, an essential source for both Handy's popular songs and Armstrong's improvisational art, and these recordings touch on the heart of the matter. On "Yellow Dog Blues," a product of Handy's own early and chance encounter with the rural blues, there's a majesty that recalls Armstrong's early recordings with Bessie Smith. Armstrong is clearly inspired by the classic material and the chance to stretch out on record, and his regular band of the period joins in perfectly. Trombonist Trummy Young, clarinetist Barney Bigard, pianist Billy Kyle, and singer Velma Middleton contribute stellar solos and support, while bassist Arvell Shaw and drummer Barrett Deems do an exceptional job of keeping the slower tempos rock steady. This is a deeply moving and consummately executed performance. --Stuart Broomer
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
Fantastic October 15, 2008
I bought this on the basis of the reviews and was knocked out by the album.Surely it must rank amongst the very best Louis Armstrong albums.Captivating from start to finish and the music quality is as fresh as tomorrow. Simply can't beleive the price, please don't let it put you off it is worth far far more.
One of my favourite albums... June 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
What a magnificent CD!
I heard this album in the LP form at the beginnings of my explorations into jazz but, as the CD era started, I was warned that the 80's CD of "Armstrong plays W. C. Handy" contains inferior alternate versions.
The producer George Avakian explains in this 1997 CD what happened and how painstaking and meticolous research and restoration resulted in this issue, basically equall to the original album, although the recording company had lost not only masters but the back-up copies as well. So, all the compliments go to Mr. Avakian, the producer and the restorer of this music.
This is one of my favorite jazz albums and I feel it proves that Louis in the 50's could very well reach his Hot fives and Hot seven hights. Whether it is "Loveless love", "Chantez les-bas" or the ingenious and rightly famous "St. Louis Blues", Satchmo shines both through the clear sound of his trumpet and through the expressive groan and grumble of his vocal chords (how do such divine voices come about? Did he work on it or was it a gift?).
His accompanying ensemble is also great, particularly the explosive trombonist Trummy Young, who was rightly famous for his work in Lunceford's big band in the swing era, but seems liberated in Satchmo's All-stars concept - he propelles ensemble choruses and plays inspiring solos (Bigard is also great but his best work was done in the swing era with Ellington).
It is quite amazing that critics in the 50's didn't take Satchmo seriously enough but so it goes with music, cinema or anything else: Artists who still develops their concept when younger cats follow completely different leaders often go unnoticed. Fortunatelly, Armstrong was able to attract some of the non-jazz crowd and become popular entertainer, so he had a great amount of artistic liberty.
Additional attractions of this seminal album are rehearsing sequences and short interviews with Satchmo and W. C. Handy.
a classic recording date that will never age June 19, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is quite simply one of the best recordings I have ever had the pleasure of listening to. I have heard many LPs over the years but this is fantastic, the quality of the recordings is matched by the wonderful playing and singing. The atmosphere is stunning and illustrates what is missing from today's music - performance, energy and humour. Also equally worth checking out is Satchmo's tribute to Fats waller, both albums are absolute classics!!!
WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW and......... WOW March 26, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
SPECTACULAR .... a friend put me on to this a few years back and if you really want to hear the best classic RnB then this is for you! Fan or no fan this really is one amazing album and i can honestly say it has changed my mindset into what maybe i should be listening to on a lazy sunday. Why there are only 3 reveiws on here i do not know.? i dont normally write them but like i said dont question it just buy it and expand your mind on how real music was made with real people.
If you only buy one classic jazz album, buy this! November 27, 2001
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Being relatively new to Jazz myself, the choice of Jazz albums seems staggering, even the number of Louis Armstrong CD's is daunting - but this is one of the best there is (the rather damning Penguin Jazz Guide review is based on an early reissue, this version of the original masters is worthy of a full 5 stars). The music is classic Armstrong playing combined with perfect Handy blues. If this CD inspires you (and at this price its got to be worth it), then try the Hot 5's and 7's box set for another taste of Armstrongs awesome vocal and musical abilities
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