Travels - Downbeat

Historical / john mcdonoughLouis Armstrongdownbeat archivesSatchmo’s Sounds for the AgesWhen Louis Armstrong dumped his big band in1947, it was no surprise. Everybody was dumpingtheir big bands then. For some swing-era starsit was a demotion to the low-rent combo districtof the business. For Armstrong, though, was it anopportunity—a return to the classic form that hadshaped his legend, then disappeared too soon.Satchmo At Symphony Hall/65th Anniversary:The Complete Performances (Hip-OSelect 602537038213; 62:00/56:20 HHHH)catches the primal vigor of his new “concert group”three months after it became a working unit. Recordedby impresario Ernest Anderson in November1947, it was released by Decca in 1951 shortlyafter Benny Goodman’s Carnegie Hall LPs hadwhetted the appetite of major labels for live recordings.Armstrong could not have hoped for a greaterpartner in his front line than trombone giant JackTeagarden, whose bobbing counterpoint lacesArmstrong’s lead with elegant filigrees. If you wantto understand why he was the greatest pre-boptrombonist in jazz, these and other early All-Starsconcerts showcase his unique voice and attackbeautifully. Nor could Armstrong have had a moreresponsive drummer than Sid Catlett, who coulditalicize the subtlest space or turn of phrase with thering of a rim shot or a nonchalant swish of a cymbalbackbeat. His performance flexes and breathes. Listento his long, patient solo variations around thebeat on “Steak Face.”Armstrong sounds superb. Inspired by the pliantrecoil of Catlett’s relaxed power, he is loose, struttingand full of crackle—though his content by now wasoften locked in the unchanging matrix of musclememory. It’s as if he had one master blues solo out ofwhich all others were constructed. Compare the excellent“Muskrat Ramble” here to one he made eightyears later for the Ambassador Satch LP, and you’llhear many of the same licks and ensemble riffs. Audiencesat Symphony Hall perhaps doubtless believedthey were in on a jam session. But, in fact, theywere hearing arrangements, some of which had notchanged significantly in years. Though only togetherfor three months, the All-Stars were already a tightact, having adopted little pieces of stage businessthat charmed as well as excited.The original Decca issue contained 18 songs.This edition has eight more, though only four completeperformances. Three are well worth having: apredictable but bravado set piece on “Back O’ Town,”a lazy figure-skate through “St. James Infirmary” featuringTeagarden and a jaunty duet on “Jack ArmstrongBlues.” Dick Cary’s piano solo on “Royal Garden,”cut from the original issue, is also restored. Therest is concert ambiance: assorted introductions,brief theme statements, even musicians tuning up.Unfortunately, the production is unusually carelessfor a major label. Two tunes are cut, along with severalof the announcements. While applause shouldhave provided unbroken continuity from one tuneto another, each title is abruptly cut off without evena fade. Ricky Riccardi provides an informative essayupdating the original notes.Some of the repertoire the All-Stars playedin 1947 originated during the period covered inLouis Armstrong: The OKeh, Columbia & RCAVictor Recordings—1925–1933 (Sony/Legacy88697945652; HHHHH), a 10-CD set that is themost comprehensive collection ever assembled ofArmstrong’s most decisive and innovative years.Though it contains no “finds,” it brings into one compactbox the 174 sides he made as leader (plus fiveaccompaniments) from his arrival at OKeh with hisHot Five to his departure from RCA as a fully settledand mature artist. It’s a brief but epic journey thatcharts the emergence of jazz, led by Armstrong, fromthe ensembles of New Orleans tradition to a solo artto be shaped by a handful of individuals. Armstronghimself grows into a great dramatist, finding thateven something as simple as a static blues can havethe grand emotional arc of a heroic story with a beginning,middle and climactic end (“Tight Like This,”“West End Blues”). More than that even, beginningwith his “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” theserecords seal the historic convergence of jazz and theAmerican Song Book and the future of jazz as a majorart form. DBOrdering info: hip-oselect.com; legacyrecordings.com