Dwain

• This album is a journey through the history books of the early foundations of Jazz music. It does a great job of showcasing many of the early styles of jazz music from ragtime to dixieland and into the swing era. It is a treat listening to Earl Hines and it’s extremely evident his influence on the music and most all jazz pianists that came after. This entire cast was transformative in the genre. One thing I really love is that Louis allows everyone to shine and be the “all-star” that they truly are. Each cast member is featured on different tracks throughout the album. This album is fun, easy to listen to and an essential to understanding jazz as a genre. If there is any drawback to this album it’s the limitations in live-recording at a venue like this in the early 1950’s. Can only imagine if this were recorded using today’s technology how incredible it would sound. It’s safe to say that jazz might not have evolved in the same way without some of these key musicians and their impact on the music. Get yourself a little jazz education by checking out this live jazz history book performance!

Overall score: 8.4/10

Max

• This is a great representation of many of the foundational elements in Jazz. You’ve got the classic instrumentation of Trad-Jazz, a song list that will surely be entertaining for an audience, and an all-star cast of musicians who are deep in the history of American Jazz music. For those out there who think bebop is the start of jazz or the correct starting place to learn the music, this record will prove you wrong. While this recording is from 1951, its musical components date back to the beginnings of this music, pulling from Ragtime, Trad-Jazz, and Swing. In addition to Pops, Earl Hines and Barney Bigard are well-featured, delivering endless amounts of swing every chance they get. Jack Teagarden has a nice feature on “Stardust” as well. Cozy Cole and Arvell Shaw hold the band together quite nicely and contribute some hip soloing too. There are a couple of times where the musical arrangement is a bit unclear, and, at certain moments, it is hard to hear certain instrumental contributions on various tracks. Louis Armstrong showcases his skills on Trumpet and Vocals, and clearly illustrates his musical philosophy, as well as his ability to entertain an audience like nobody’s business.

Overall score: 8.1/10