4 Like musical comfort food, Louis Armstrong in Chicago, 1962 (Storyville 101 837; 66:20) offers up a familiar repertoire with a generous helping of shtick on the side. But no matter how many times you've heard Louis Armstrong's routine, it's still satisfying to listen to his mighty vibrato on "Indiana," his sublime slow-motion scat on "Basin Street Blues," his sly quotes from commercial jingles on "Ole Miss" and his Crescent City elocution on "La Vie en Rose" ("Hold me close and hold me fass, the magic spell you cass"). Trombonist Trummy Young is especially effective in both solo and supporting roles, whether playing beautiful obbligatos on "Blueberry Hill" or lying behind the beat on "The Bucket's Got a Hole in It." Sound quality is good and liner notes by Mike Hennessey are informative, though we might ask just where in Chicago was this recorded? true 40 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 13079 58 200205 true 0 66 2002-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Like musical comfort food, Louis Armstrong in Chicago, 1962 (Storyville 101 837; 66:20) offers up a familiar repertoire with a generous helping of shtick on the side. But no matter how many times you've heard Louis Armstrong's routine, it's still satisfying to listen to his mighty vibrato on "Indiana," his sublime slow-motion scat on "Basin Street Blues," his sly quotes from commercial jingles on "Ole Miss" and his Crescent City elocution on "La Vie en Rose" ("Hold me close and hold me fass, the magic spell you cass"). Trombonist Trummy Young is especially effective in both solo and supporting roles, whether playing beautiful obbligatos on "Blueberry Hill" or lying behind the beat on "The Bucket's Got a Hole in It." Sound quality is good and liner notes by Mike Hennessey are informative, though we might ask just where in Chicago was this recorded?

2009-03-02T00:22:56-05:00

4 Louis Armstrong's spirit hovers over The Power and the Glory: A Salute to Louis Armstrong (Storyville 101 4250; 64:02) by the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Jim McNeely. This 2001 concert program consisted mostly of songs from Armstrong's early days, with featured soloist Leroy Jones playing and singing, along with arrangements by McNeely, Bill Potts, Vincent Nilsson, Peter Jensen and Harry Connick Jr. Jones may not be a great trumpeter yet, but he's quite good and generally entertaining throughout. The orchestra is solid and boasts several fine soloists, including trumpeter Henrik Bolberg Pedersen and saxophonist Tomas Franck. Highlights include the orchestrated Armstrong solos on the title track, the exotic muted trumpet and bass clarinet intro of "Someday You'll Be Sorry," the band's unison scat chorus on "Hotter Than That" and the hip version of "Weather Bird," with the saxophones playing many of Earl Hines' original licks. true 40 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 13080 58 200205 true 0 66 2002-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Louis Armstrong's spirit hovers over The Power and the Glory: A Salute to Louis Armstrong (Storyville 101 4250; 64:02) by the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Jim McNeely. This 2001 concert program consisted mostly of songs from Armstrong's early days, with featured soloist Leroy Jones playing and singing, along with arrangements by McNeely, Bill Potts, Vincent Nilsson, Peter Jensen and Harry Connick Jr. Jones may not be a great trumpeter yet, but he's quite good and generally entertaining throughout. The orchestra is solid and boasts several fine soloists, including trumpeter Henrik Bolberg Pedersen and saxophonist Tomas Franck. Highlights include the orchestrated Armstrong solos on the title track, the exotic muted trumpet and bass clarinet intro of "Someday You'll Be Sorry," the band's unison scat chorus on "Hotter Than That" and the hip version of "Weather Bird," with the saxophones playing many of Earl Hines' original licks.

2009-03-02T00:22:56-05:00

4 Trumpeter/vocalist Byron Stripling would have been the perfect choice for a Louis Armstrong celebration, as he can conjure up the spirit of Satchmo as well as anyone, while still maintaining his own identity. His latest is Byron, Get One Free (Nagel-Heyer 2016; 60:19) and it finds him playing unaccompanied counterpoint with trombonist Wycliffe Gordon on "Indiana," exploring a loping and adventurous Mike Mossman arrangement of "Con Alma," engaging pianist Bill Charlap in duet on "I'm Old Fashioned" and revving up the engines on "Frank's Magic," which features five choruses by the elegantly swinging Frank Wess. The best piece may well be the title track, a long, slow soft-shoe of a blues where all the soloists get off on the stop-time breaks and the trumpet eventually opens up and calls all the children home. true 40 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 13081 58 200205 true 0 66 2002-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Trumpeter/vocalist Byron Stripling would have been the perfect choice for a Louis Armstrong celebration, as he can conjure up the spirit of Satchmo as well as anyone, while still maintaining his own identity. His latest is Byron, Get One Free (Nagel-Heyer 2016; 60:19) and it finds him playing unaccompanied counterpoint with trombonist Wycliffe Gordon on "Indiana," exploring a loping and adventurous Mike Mossman arrangement of "Con Alma," engaging pianist Bill Charlap in duet on "I'm Old Fashioned" and revving up the engines on "Frank's Magic," which features five choruses by the elegantly swinging Frank Wess. The best piece may well be the title track, a long, slow soft-shoe of a blues where all the soloists get off on the stop-time breaks and the trumpet eventually opens up and calls all the children home.

2009-03-02T00:22:56-05:00

4 What can you say about a two-CD set that has only 43 minutes of music? Before you call consumer protection, listen to the first four selections of Dizzy in South America Vol. 3 (CAP 935; 75:33, 72:33). This 1956 Dizzy Gillespie big band was recorded during one of its State Department tours, and it is likely the most exciting jazz orchestra to ever represent the U.S. abroad. One reason is the sheer number of great musicians on board, including Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Melba Liston, Quincy Jones, Walter Davis Jr. and, of course, the balloon-cheeked leader, who plays an absolutely astounding break, solo and coda on "A Night in Tunisia." Another eyebrow raiser, "Cepao's Samba," finds Dizzy jamming with a samba group at the Hotel Gloria in Rio. It turns out that Cepao was the arranger at the local Brazilian TV station, and his orchestra of unidentified Cariocas plays a bebop arrangement in Dizzy's style with batucada accompaniment. Opa! The set also includes new tango pieces recorded in Buenos Aires, including the popular "Adios Muchachos," made famous by Carlos Gardel, and Osvaldo Fresedo's "Vida Mia." Unfortunately, that's it for the music, as what follows are more than 100 minutes of recorded interviews with Dizzy, Quincy Jones, Phil Woods, Billy Mitchell, Charlie Persip, Benny Golson, Lalo Schifrin and others. You may only listen to the interviews once, but I bet you'll revisit the "Samba" and "Night in Tunisia" over and over. true 40 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 13082 58 200205 true 0 66 2002-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

What can you say about a two-CD set that has only 43 minutes of music? Before you call consumer protection, listen to the first four selections of Dizzy in South America Vol. 3 (CAP 935; 75:33, 72:33). This 1956 Dizzy Gillespie big band was recorded during one of its State Department tours, and it is likely the most exciting jazz orchestra to ever represent the U.S. abroad. One reason is the sheer number of great musicians on board, including Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Melba Liston, Quincy Jones, Walter Davis Jr. and, of course, the balloon-cheeked leader, who plays an absolutely astounding break, solo and coda on "A Night in Tunisia." Another eyebrow raiser, "Cepao's Samba," finds Dizzy jamming with a samba group at the Hotel Gloria in Rio. It turns out that Cepao was the arranger at the local Brazilian TV station, and his orchestra of unidentified Cariocas plays a bebop arrangement in Dizzy's style with batucada accompaniment. Opa! The set also includes new tango pieces recorded in Buenos Aires, including the popular "Adios Muchachos," made famous by Carlos Gardel, and Osvaldo Fresedo's "Vida Mia." Unfortunately, that's it for the music, as what follows are more than 100 minutes of recorded interviews with Dizzy, Quincy Jones, Phil Woods, Billy Mitchell, Charlie Persip, Benny Golson, Lalo Schifrin and others. You may only listen to the interviews once, but I bet you'll revisit the "Samba" and "Night in Tunisia" over and over.

2009-03-02T00:22:56-05:00

4 Thirty-three years later Dizzy Gillespie led his United Nations Orchestra in a concert that proved he still had the ability to bring out the best in his musicians. The CD Dizzy Gillespie Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London (Eagle WK 55890; 74:42) features a stellar cast performing arrangements by Slide Hampton. Though Dizzy's tone and technique had slipped a bit in his 72nd year, he could always summon the magic when he needed to. The all-star band, including Paquito D'Rivera, Mario Rivera, Danilo Perez, Claudio Roditi and the powerhouse percussion section of Ignacio Berroa and Giovanni Hidalgo, provides most of the fireworks. Special moments include Slide Hampton and Steve Turre trading eights on "Tin Tin Deo," a triple time Arturo Sandoval solo on the breezy calypso "And Then She Stopped" and, of course, the climactic, all-out "A Night in Tunisia" with James Moody and the trumpets. It's a wonder the walls of the Hall didn't come tumbling down. true 40 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 13083 58 200205 true 0 66 2002-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Thirty-three years later Dizzy Gillespie led his United Nations Orchestra in a concert that proved he still had the ability to bring out the best in his musicians. The CD Dizzy Gillespie Live at the Royal Festival Hall, London (Eagle WK 55890; 74:42) features a stellar cast performing arrangements by Slide Hampton. Though Dizzy's tone and technique had slipped a bit in his 72nd year, he could always summon the magic when he needed to. The all-star band, including Paquito D'Rivera, Mario Rivera, Danilo Perez, Claudio Roditi and the powerhouse percussion section of Ignacio Berroa and Giovanni Hidalgo, provides most of the fireworks. Special moments include Slide Hampton and Steve Turre trading eights on "Tin Tin Deo," a triple time Arturo Sandoval solo on the breezy calypso "And Then She Stopped" and, of course, the climactic, all-out "A Night in Tunisia" with James Moody and the trumpets. It's a wonder the walls of the Hall didn't come tumbling down.

2009-03-02T00:22:56-05:00

4 Don Lewis' CD The Colour of Time (L-Town 223; 56:36) is a curiously strange document, and not just because he's an American who spells color with a "u." He's got an attractive trumpet sound and approach that suggests 1960s hard bop, and he comes off well on the propulsive, churning title track and the tasty original "Beans and Hot Sauce," with its soul-jazz groove and funky conga. But the sideman solos and, in fact, most of the other pieces seem to run out of steam after a chorus or two. Is it a matter of faulty technique or limited imagination? Or is this simply a local group that needs the stimulus and polish of rubbing elbows with fellow musicians in the big city? Some context might help, but it's hard to know because the liner notes by Freddie L. Wright are so poorly written as to be incomprehensible. Freddie, get thee to an editor! true 40 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 13084 58 200205 true 0 66 2002-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Don Lewis' CD The Colour of Time (L-Town 223; 56:36) is a curiously strange document, and not just because he's an American who spells color with a "u." He's got an attractive trumpet sound and approach that suggests 1960s hard bop, and he comes off well on the propulsive, churning title track and the tasty original "Beans and Hot Sauce," with its soul-jazz groove and funky conga. But the sideman solos and, in fact, most of the other pieces seem to run out of steam after a chorus or two. Is it a matter of faulty technique or limited imagination? Or is this simply a local group that needs the stimulus and polish of rubbing elbows with fellow musicians in the big city? Some context might help, but it's hard to know because the liner notes by Freddie L. Wright are so poorly written as to be incomprehensible. Freddie, get thee to an editor!

2009-03-02T00:22:56-05:00

4 If hard bop and beyond is your thing, keep an eye out for Woody Shaw: Live Volume Two (High Note 7089; 58:46). The first half of this 1977 date features Woody Shaw's quintet with trombonist Steve Turre, pianist Larry Willis, bassist Stafford James and drummer Victor Lewis working out on "Rahsaan's Run" and "What Is This Thing Called Love?" Both uptempo burners find Shaw and Turre spinning long lines and exchanging phrases with energy and articulation. The last two numbers are extended pieces with the same rhythm section and saxophonist Carter Jefferson replacing Turre. The late Jefferson is one of the great, if underrecognized, tenor-saxophone heroes, and his blistering solo on "Isabel the Liberator" is a stunning example of an in-and-out-of-tempo, post-Coltrane wail. true 40 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 13085 58 200205 true 0 66 2002-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

If hard bop and beyond is your thing, keep an eye out for Woody Shaw: Live Volume Two (High Note 7089; 58:46). The first half of this 1977 date features Woody Shaw's quintet with trombonist Steve Turre, pianist Larry Willis, bassist Stafford James and drummer Victor Lewis working out on "Rahsaan's Run" and "What Is This Thing Called Love?" Both uptempo burners find Shaw and Turre spinning long lines and exchanging phrases with energy and articulation. The last two numbers are extended pieces with the same rhythm section and saxophonist Carter Jefferson replacing Turre. The late Jefferson is one of the great, if underrecognized, tenor-saxophone heroes, and his blistering solo on "Isabel the Liberator" is a stunning example of an in-and-out-of-tempo, post-Coltrane wail.

2009-03-02T00:22:56-05:00

4 Bobby Shew is a veteran of various big bands and small groups, but these days he's also known to several generations of jazz students as an active clinician and educator. He's the featured trumpet soloist on Bobby Shew: The Music of John Harmon (Sea Breeze 2117; 69:10, 46:56), backed by Harmon and various ensembles from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. The first disc of this set finds Shew soloing with the L.U. Jazz Ensemble, which is quite good considering they're students. The highlight here is "Night of the August Moon," a pretty ballad on which Shew gets a dark, beautiful sound. The six intimate Harmon-Shew duets that follow bring out the best in the trumpeter and the pianist-composer, whose touch and accompaniment might remind some of Jimmy Rowles. The second CD featuring Shew with the L.U. Wind Ensemble, Trumpet Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra is not bad at all if you go for that sort of thing, but it's probably of little interest for most jazz fans. true 40 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 13086 58 200205 true 0 66 2002-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Bobby Shew is a veteran of various big bands and small groups, but these days he's also known to several generations of jazz students as an active clinician and educator. He's the featured trumpet soloist on Bobby Shew: The Music of John Harmon (Sea Breeze 2117; 69:10, 46:56), backed by Harmon and various ensembles from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wis. The first disc of this set finds Shew soloing with the L.U. Jazz Ensemble, which is quite good considering they're students. The highlight here is "Night of the August Moon," a pretty ballad on which Shew gets a dark, beautiful sound. The six intimate Harmon-Shew duets that follow bring out the best in the trumpeter and the pianist-composer, whose touch and accompaniment might remind some of Jimmy Rowles. The second CD featuring Shew with the L.U. Wind Ensemble, Trumpet Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra is not bad at all if you go for that sort of thing, but it's probably of little interest for most jazz fans.

2009-03-02T00:22:56-05:00

4 Having a recognizable sound is one of the most important attributes in jazz, and Clark Terry is instantly recognizable for his prodigious technique, wit, sensitivity and swing. Clark Terry and His Orchestra Featuring Paul Gonsalves (Storyville 8322; 61:47) is a reissue of a deeply satisfying 1959 date that originally came out on French Decca. Terry and Gonsalves work hand-in-glove together, trading fours on an effervescent "Serenade to a Bus Seat," and sharing the theme of Babs Gonzales' dissonant ballad "Lonely One." Special mention should be made of the two bittersweet versions of "Pannonica," the relaxed, extended "Blues for the Champ of Champs," and the long, dancing trumpet solo on "Pea-Eyes" (yes, this is the same tune called "Pea-Eye" on Terry's Riverside date In Orbit from the year before with Thelonious Monk). Pianist Raymond Fol plays the intros to Monk's "Pannonica," and it's good to hear bassist Jimmy Woode and drummer Sam Woodyard outside of the Ellington band setting we so often hear them in. true 40 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 13087 58 200205 true 0 66 2002-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Having a recognizable sound is one of the most important attributes in jazz, and Clark Terry is instantly recognizable for his prodigious technique, wit, sensitivity and swing. Clark Terry and His Orchestra Featuring Paul Gonsalves (Storyville 8322; 61:47) is a reissue of a deeply satisfying 1959 date that originally came out on French Decca. Terry and Gonsalves work hand-in-glove together, trading fours on an effervescent "Serenade to a Bus Seat," and sharing the theme of Babs Gonzales' dissonant ballad "Lonely One." Special mention should be made of the two bittersweet versions of "Pannonica," the relaxed, extended "Blues for the Champ of Champs," and the long, dancing trumpet solo on "Pea-Eyes" (yes, this is the same tune called "Pea-Eye" on Terry's Riverside date In Orbit from the year before with Thelonious Monk). Pianist Raymond Fol plays the intros to Monk's "Pannonica," and it's good to hear bassist Jimmy Woode and drummer Sam Woodyard outside of the Ellington band setting we so often hear them in.

2009-03-02T00:22:56-05:00

4 Polish trumpeter-composer Tomasz Stanko often works more with tonal colors and textures than strict theme and variation. He takes a painterly approach to sound and his Soul of Things (ECM 1788; 74:55) is evocative, darkly shaded and impressionistic. This is Stanko's first recording with pianist Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michal Miskiewicz, his Polish quartet of the past seven years. They provide a canvas of subtle, sensitive support for the 60-year-old Stanko. Only a few of the 13 pieces are medium or uptempo; the rest are beautifully rhapsodic, free-floating melodies that highlight Stanko's big, dreamy sound. If only my dreams sounded like this. true 40 2007-06-07T14:05:44-04:00 13088 58 200205 true 0 66 2002-05-01T00:00:00-04:00

Polish trumpeter-composer Tomasz Stanko often works more with tonal colors and textures than strict theme and variation. He takes a painterly approach to sound and his Soul of Things (ECM 1788; 74:55) is evocative, darkly shaded and impressionistic. This is Stanko's first recording with pianist Marcin Wasilewski, bassist Slawomir Kurkiewicz and drummer Michal Miskiewicz, his Polish quartet of the past seven years. They provide a canvas of subtle, sensitive support for the 60-year-old Stanko. Only a few of the 13 pieces are medium or uptempo; the rest are beautifully rhapsodic, free-floating melodies that highlight Stanko's big, dreamy sound. If only my dreams sounded like this.

2009-03-02T00:22:56-05:00