Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy
Appearance
Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy | ||||
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Studio album by Louis Armstrong and His All Stars | ||||
Released | 1954 | |||
Recorded | July 12–14, 1954[1] | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Length | 76:37 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | George Avakian | |||
Louis Armstrong and His All Stars chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [3] |
Tom Hull | A[4] |
Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy is a 1954 studio release by Louis Armstrong and His All Stars, described by Allmusic as "Louis Armstrong's finest record of the 1950s" and "essential music for all serious jazz collections".[5] Columbia CD released the album on CD in 1986 in a much altered form, with alternative versions in place of many of the original songs, but restored the original with its 1997 re-issue, which also included additional tracks: a brief interview by the producer, George Avakian, with W. C. Handy; a joke told by Louis Armstrong; and several rehearsal versions of the songs.
Track listing
[edit]Side 1
[edit]- "St. Louis Blues" (Handy) - 8:50
- "Yellow Dog Blues" (Handy) - 4:16
- "Loveless Love" (Handy) - 4:28
- "Aunt Hagar's Blues" (Brymn, Handy) - 4:57
- "Long Gone (From The Bowlin' Green)" (Handy, Chris Smith) - 5:08
Side 2
[edit]- "The Memphis Blues (Or Mister Crump)" (Handy, George A. Norton) - 2:59
- "Beale Street Blues" (Handy) - 4:56
- "Ole Miss Blues" (Handy) - 3:25
- "Chantez Les Bas (Sing 'Em Low)" (Handy) - 4:48
- "Hesitating Blues" (Handy) - 5:20
- "Atlanta Blues (Make Me One Pallet on Your Floor)" (Dave Elman, Handy) - 4:33
1997 CD bonus tracks
[edit]- "George Avakian's Interview with W. C. Handy" - 2:44
- "Loveless Love [Rehearsal Sequence]" (Handy) - 5:55
- "Hesitating Blues [Rehearsal Sequence]" (Handy) - 5:38
- "Alligator Story" - 0:47
- "Long Gone (From The Bowlin' Green) [Rehearsal Sequence]" (Handy, Smith) - 7:53
Personnel
[edit]- Louis Armstrong – trumpet, vocals
- Trummy Young – trombone
- Barney Bigard – clarinet
- Billy Kyle – piano
- Arvell Shaw – double bass
- Barrett Deems – drums
- Velma Middleton – vocals
Production
- George Avakian – producer, engineer, liner notes, reissue producer
- Mark Wilder – engineer, digital mastering
- Seth Rothstein – project director, project manager
- Rene Arsenault – production assistant
- Cozbi Sanchez-Cabrera – art direction, reissue art director
- Steven Berkowitz – reissue series
- Kevin Gore – reissue series
- Randall Martin – reissue design
References
[edit]- ^ "The Louis Armstrong Discography: The All-Stars (1946 - 1956)".
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Cook, Richard; Brian Morton (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. The Penguin Guide to Jazz (9th ed.). London: Penguin. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-14-103401-0.
- ^ Hull, Tom (n.d.). "Essential Jazz Albums of the 1950s". tomhull.com. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy at AllMusic