If nothing else, this CD adds further evidence for the oft-repeated proposition that Louis Armstrong never gave a bad performance. These sides come from some concerts that Armstrong did in Sweden and Denmark in the 1950s, and while there is nothing earthshaking here, it is certainly worth a listen if you’re in the mood for Armstrong from that period.

 

The personnel at three performances is essentially the same, except that clarinetist Edmond Hall was replaced by Peanuts Hucko between the 1955 and 1959 tours, and regular bass player Arvell Shaw and regular drummer Barrett Deems are relieved by Mort Herbert and Danny Barcelona respectively.

 

If you’re a big fan of Armstrong doing “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South,” there’s a chance to hear four different cuts of the tune, including an appearance that he opened and closed with the song. Should you really need it, the CD opens with a version of “When The Saints Go Marching In.” Satch made the very first jazz recording of “Saints” in 1938, but the disc received little attention at the time. It wasn’t until the New Orleans jazz revival in the 1940s that it became the overdone theme song of traditional jazz.

 

The producers of this CD should be commended for doing their best to improve the sound of these live performance recordings, including what is described as “pitch correction” by the top flight Swedish jazzman, Bent Persson. Always popular in Scandinavia, Armstrong gave a total of 14 concerts in Sweden and 15 in Denmark in 1959 and all of them were sell-outs. There’ll be more to be heard from that tour in Volume 4 of this series.