The World of Pops

[Tom Storer]

That's right, at a now-defunct club... Where are the snows of yesteryear?

[jazzbo]

This is a great cd!

Armstrong compositions. . . you'd hardly recognize them. Very cool.

[ghost of miles]

I Love Pops! His music from the 30's is a GAS! "Skeletons in the closet on parade" is a favorite of mine...from "Pennies from Heaven." Love "Cabin in the Sky" - pops looks groovy with horns!

I just ordered the "Now You Has Jazz" at your rec. Lon and can't wait to get it!

LCM, last week I taped a Night Lights show for Aug. 4 called "Satchmo, Take Two: Louis Armstrong at the Movies." We'll also post a short sort of "Night Lights supplemental" program on the website that will include "Skeletons" and "A Song Was Born."

I'll second Lon's rec for NOW YOU HAS JAZZ (a collection of Armstrong's MGM movie recordings) and also recommend that Pops fans seek out the new reissue of the soundtrack for A MAN CALLED ADAM--we used Armstrong's "Back o' Town Blues" and "Someday Sweetheart" from that CD for the show. Benny Carter did the score.

Edited July 20, 2007 by ghost of miles

[thomastreichler]

One of my favourite Armstrong recordings is the Town Hall Concert 1947 (I have it on a twofer on French RCA Tribune) with the unbeatable lineup of Bobby Hackett, Jack Teagarden, Peanuts Hucko, Dick Cary, Bob Haggart and George Wettling / Sid Catlett.

[jazzbo]

One of my favourite Armstrong recordings is the Town Hall Concert 1947 (I have it on a twofer on French RCA Tribune) with the unbeatable lineup of Bobby Hackett, Jack Teagarden, Peanuts Hucko, Dick Cary, Bob Haggart and George Wettling / Sid Catlett.

I've got great love for that one two! (I've got the same Jazz Tribune edition as well, beautiful two cd set!)

[catesta]

Armstrong is never forgotten in Queens.

From my local Times Ledger....

Trumpeter to wish Satchmo a happy birthday in Corona

By Elizabeth Stein

06/28/2007

After rising from poverty in New Orleans to change the face of jazz forever in the 1920s and '30s, legendary trumpeter and composer Louis Armstrong settled down in a little house on 107th Street in Corona, where he lived until his death in 1971.

To commemorate Armstrong's birthday each year, jazzmen gather at his old front stoop to put on a show. This year the July 5 concert will feature trumpeter Eddie Allen and friends.

"Louis Armstrong to the trumpet is like Bach to European classical music," said Allen, who lives in Brooklyn. He said he was looking forward to paying tribute to the jazz great.

Allen will perform with two other trumpeters, Cecil Bridgewater and Ray Vega, as well as a pianist Rick Germanson, bassist Duane Burno and drummer Carl Allen.

Allen's show also kicks off a summer-long concert series sponsored by Jazzmobile, a New York-based organization founded in 1964 to promote and propagate jazz music. Since 2001, the organization has started their series with a block party and concert outside Armstrong's Corona home, which Louis's wife Lucille endowed to the city when she died in 1983. The house became a museum in 2003.

Throughout his life, Armstrong celebrated his birthday on July 4, though historians discovered in the 1980s that he was actually born a month later. "We acknowledge that he acknowledged July 4 as his birthday," said Robin Bell-Stevens, the executive director of Jazzmobile.

"We wanted to provide free, fun jazz music to our neighbors," said Deslyn Dyer, the Louis Armstrong House Museum's assistant director. "This was our goal and that pretty much met up with Jazzmobile's goal to bring music to the community."

Allen was slated to play the event last year, but his plans were derailed when the pianist he intended to perform with, Hilton Ruiz, died suddenly in New Orleans. They had planned to work with a few trumpets, and when Allen was approached to perform this year, he felt it appropriate to use the same arrangement.

"I kept the arrangement that I did then and I just wrote a few other arrangements of Louis Armstrong's music for three trumpets," Allen said. He said the musicians will also play some individual features.

Among the arrangements Allen has prepared are a salsa piece, a cha-cha, and a Second Line number, he said. Second Line is a style associated with parades and jazzy, upbeat Louisiana funeral music.

Allen recently finished recording with an Afro-Cuban group and in the early part of next year plans to record with a 16-piece big band.

"I love music and I play a little bit of everything," he said. Though this is his first time performing on Armstrong's birthday outside the House Museum, Allen has worked with Jazzmobile in various capacities in the past including teaching during the school year and performing with conga player Mongo Santa Maria.

"We have about 200 musicians we work with throughout the year in performance and education programs," said Bell-Stevens, who also said that the group holds workshops, master classes and lecture demonstrations.

"We want to bring jazz into communities where the population may not be traveling into jazz halls or concert halls," said Bell-Stevens. "Jazz is a music of the people and we want to bring it to the people." Jazz originated in New Orleans in the early 20th century. Jazzmobile calls it "America's classical music."

Jazzmobile hosts concerts throughout the city all summer and plans two more dates in Queens. On July 23, the James Spaulding Sextet will perform at 143-22 109th Ave. in Jamaica, sponsored by the Brooks Senior Center. On Aug. 9, the 198th Street Block Association in Hollis will host Lonnie Youngblood at 111-12 198th St. All Jazzmobile events are free and open to the public.

If you go

Eddie Allen and Friends

Date: Thursday, July 5

Time: 7 p.m.

Where: Louis Armstrong House Museum, 34-56 107th St., Corona

Cost: Free

For more: Call the Louis Armstrong House at 718-478-8274. Visit www.satchmo.net or www.jazzmobile.org.

[alocispepraluger102]

just listened to and loved some of his big band recordings from the mid 30's.

[Chuck Nessa]

Did you know he was from Louisiana?

[thomastreichler]

Let's not forget his collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald ("Ella & Louis", "Ella & Louis Again") which spotlight rather Louis' superb singing than his trumpet. These are marvelous recordings. The swingin' rhythm section of Oscar Peterson, Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Buddy Rich or Louie Bellson is not bad either. I have the 3-CD-set "The Complete Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong on Verve" which also contains "Porgy and Bess". The packaging is nice to look at but somewhat unpractical. Great music!

[Adam]

Some cool Louis with Johnny Cash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqc209-rwNI

Fantastic! Thank you for posting.

Was the Johnny Cash Show the best musical TV show ever? Too bad it's not out on DVD. I was trying to hunt down the rights for it 3 years ago, and I couldn't find a rights holder.

[jazzbo]

Now listening to a few discs of the Complete RCA box set. (Why isn't all of Town Hall on a box set purporting to be complete? You'd think OK had a hand in it!)

Such powerful music! Happy Birthday Pops! (Comin' up tomorrow!)

[LAL]

Listening to some selections from the Affinity set, Louis and the Blues Singers.

Also ordered the following:

[jazzbo]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPS!

Yes, LAL I have those blues singer sides on King Jazz cds. . . some amazing stuff!

Right now watching the Louis Armstrong Jazz Icon release.

[John L]

Now listening to a few discs of the Complete RCA box set. (Why isn't all of Town Hall on a box set purporting to be complete? You'd think OK had a hand in it!)

Such powerful music! Happy Birthday Pops! (Comin' up tomorrow!)

I first became a Pops fanatic after purchasing a 2-LP memorial set on RCA after his death. To this day, the RCA recordings remain among my absolute favorites, both the 30s and 40s recordings.

Lon: I believe that there is a story behind the Town Hall omissions. If I recall correctly, only part of the concert exists in the RCA vaults, but the entire concert was recorded independently in somewhat worse sound. RCA in Europe somehow acquired the rights to the whole concert (or maybe they were just exploiting the European copyright laws), whereas US RCA never did.

Something like that.

[jazzbo]

Thanks for that bit of info. . . though. . . I don't really hear a sound quality diminishment but maybe there is. . . .

It was a fantastic night! Glad it was all captured and eventually released!

[brownie]

It was French RCA which first published the full 1947 Town Hall concert back in vinyl days.

The complete concert is available these days thanks to the good people at FreshSound:

[jazzbo]

Yes, I have the concert in the Jazz Tribune RCA series.

Well, like Shawn, I had to listen to "Ambassador Satch" today, and did so twice! Then I listened to several Ruby Braff cds on Arbors, he's almost as good as listening to Satch himself. Happy Birthday Pops!

[Ricko]

Hi all. My name is Ricky Riccardi and I'm a longtime lurker on Organissimo (and infrequent poster to the AAJ message boards). Louis Armstrong's music is a big chunk of my life and in addition to giving a few Armstrong lectures at the Institute of Jazz Studies, I'm also finishing a book on the All Stars period. Just to keep the Armstrong birthday celebration going, I wanted to spread the word that last month I joined the rest of the human race and started a blog. It's an Armstrong blog (natch) and all I do is put my Itunes on random and talk about the first Armstrong track that comes up...historical details, musical details, little-known facts, whatever. I'm also going to be discussing Armstrong YouTube videos and my last posting was a small thesis on the "In Scandinavia" set from Storyville. If you'd like to check it out, go to dippermouth.blogspot.com. I appreciate all comments and feedback hope you enjoy it...here's to Pops! Red beans and ricely yours,

Ricky

[montg]

'Rockin' Chair' from the Town Hall concert is one of my favorite Pops moments. Tea and Pops were such a wonderful pairing.

[jazzbo]

This is a great cd!

Armstrong compositions. . . you'd hardly recognize them. Very cool.

Listening to this one again today. Great release! eMusicable.

Edited August 31, 2007 by jazzbo

[kh1958]

Hi all. My name is Ricky Riccardi and I'm a longtime lurker on Organissimo (and infrequent poster to the AAJ message boards). Louis Armstrong's music is a big chunk of my life and in addition to giving a few Armstrong lectures at the Institute of Jazz Studies, I'm also finishing a book on the All Stars period. Just to keep the Armstrong birthday celebration going, I wanted to spread the word that last month I joined the rest of the human race and started a blog. It's an Armstrong blog (natch) and all I do is put my Itunes on random and talk about the first Armstrong track that comes up...historical details, musical details, little-known facts, whatever. I'm also going to be discussing Armstrong YouTube videos and my last posting was a small thesis on the "In Scandinavia" set from Storyville. If you'd like to check it out, go to dippermouth.blogspot.com. I appreciate all comments and feedback hope you enjoy it...here's to Pops! Red beans and ricely yours,

Ricky

Your review of the new Monterey release was quite helpful (I decided to skip it, at least until I come across an inexpensive used copy). Thanks.

[Ricko]

Thanks for the kind words, KH. Yeah, as I said in the review, I wouldn't recommend it for casual All Stars fans or those new to Armstrong's later period because there's about 30 better concerts already out on disc (I've said it once, I'll say it a hundred times: the In Scandinavia box on Storyville is incredible). For the die-hards like me, I'm fascinated hearing Armstrong cope with having an off night but I realize not every jazz fan has such a streak of masochism! Used copies do seem to still be pretty steep but if you pick up a cheap one, I'd be interested to see if you agree. Anyway, thanks for reading--and spread the word!

Ricky Riccardi

dippermouth.blogspot.com

[kh1958]

Thanks for the kind words, KH. Yeah, as I said in the review, I wouldn't recommend it for casual All Stars fans or those new to Armstrong's later period because there's about 30 better concerts already out on disc (I've said it once, I'll say it a hundred times: the In Scandinavia box on Storyville is incredible). For the die-hards like me, I'm fascinated hearing Armstrong cope with having an off night but I realize not every jazz fan has such a streak of masochism! Used copies do seem to still be pretty steep but if you pick up a cheap one, I'd be interested to see if you agree. Anyway, thanks for reading--and spread the word!

Ricky Riccardi

dippermouth.blogspot.com

It sounds like I need that Louis in Scandinavia box set!

[jazzbo]

kh, I also highly recommend that Storyville box!

[mjzee]

eMusic:

Louis Armstrong in Scandinavia, Vol. 1

That's the only volume I could find there.