One of many in the Bluebird's Best series to present ancient classics from the 20th century's seminal jazz and big-band artists, this recording presents a beautiful portrait of the artist as a young man.
The 15 titles selected here by Ruby Braff, fellow trumpeter and Armstrong devotee, document a 14-year period (1932-1946) following Satchmo's revolutionary recordings of the '20s.
His raspy voice is often well-parodied, but his unique approach to the opening cut, "I've Got the World on a String," shows a unique genius for phrasing.
It's more raw than the Frank Sinatra version everyone is familiar with.
The vocal is prefaced by a good minute of lush trumpet playing backed by Armstrong's own orchestra.
Some of the '30s tracks sound a bit muddy and unpolished, but later recordings like "Endie" feature richly textured big-band horn arrangements.
"The Blues Are Brewin'" is another standout, featuring a smoother-voiced Armstrong than later generations usually hear.
There are some sonic challenges (i.e., some technically poor live recordings), but those shortcomings offer a definite charm in helping define this era.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EndieLouis Alter, Eddie DeLange | Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 13 MB |
| 2 | Mighty RiverBilly Baskette | Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra | Play | 02:44 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 3 | I Want a Little GirlMurray Mencher, Billy Moll | Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven | Play | 03:01 | 7 MB | 12 MB |
| 4 | SnafuLeonard Feather | Louis Armstrong, Esquire All-Americans | Play | 04:14 | 9 MB | 16 MB |
| 5 | He's a Son of the SouthJoe Davis, Reginald Foresythe, Andy Razaf | Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra | Play | 02:40 | 6 MB | 10 MB |
| 6 | Ain't Misbehavin'Harry Brooks, Andy Razaf, Fats Waller | Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars | Play | 03:54 | 9 MB | 16 MB |
| 7 | SugarEdna Alexander, Sidney Mitchell, Maceo Pinkard | Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven | Play | 03:25 | 8 MB | 11 MB |
| 8 | That's My HomeBen Ellison, Otis Rene, Leon René | Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 13 MB |
| 9 | Save It, Pretty MamaPaul Denniker, Don Redman | Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 17 MB |
| 10 | Fifty-Fifty BluesBilly Moore Jr. | Louis Armstrong, Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 11 MB |
| 11 | Mahogany Hall Stomp | Louis Armstrong | Play | 02:37 | 6 MB | 10 MB |
| 12 | The Blues Are Brewing | Louis Armstrong | Play | 02:57 | 6 MB | 12 MB |
| 13 | Laughin' Louie | Louis Armstrong | Play | 03:29 | 8 MB | 13 MB |
| 42 mins | 99 MB | |||||
| 42 mins | 172 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edna Alexander | Composer |
| 2 | Louis Alter | Composer |
| 3 | Harold Arlen | Composer |
| 4 | Louis Armstrong | Primary Artist, Soloist, Trumpet, Vocals |
| 5 | Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars | Primary Artist |
| 6 | Louis Armstrong & His Dixieland Seven | Primary Artist |
| 7 | Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven | Primary Artist |
| 8 | Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra | Primary Artist |
| 9 | Michael Barnard | Engineer |
| 10 | Billy Baskette | Composer |
| 11 | Barney Bigard | Clarinet, Clarinet Obbligato |
| 12 | Ruby Braff | Compilation Producer |
| 13 | Harry Brooks | Composer |
| 14 | Scoville Brown | Sax (Alto), Soloist |
| 15 | Johnny Burke | Composer |
| 16 | Don Byas | Sax (Tenor) |
| 17 | Joe Davis | Composer |
| 18 | Eddie DeLange | Composer |
| 19 | Paul Denniker | Composer |
| 20 | Vic Dickenson | Trombone |
| 21 | Ben Ellison | Composer |
| 22 | Esquire All-Americans | Performer, Primary Artist |
| 23 | Leonard Feather | Composer |
| 24 | Reginald Foresythe | Composer |
| 25 | Clarence Gaskill | Composer |
| 26 | Bobby Hackett | Clarinet Obbligato |
| 27 | Johnny Hodges | Sax (Alto) |
| 28 | Peanuts Hucko | Clarinet, Sax (Tenor) |
| 29 | Reuben Jackson | Annotation |
| 30 | Budd Johnson | Sax (Tenor), Soloist |
| 31 | Keg Johnson | Soloist, Tuba |
| 32 | Arthur Johnston | Composer |
| 33 | Carlos Kase | Reissue Producer |
| 34 | Ted Koehler | Composer |
| 35 | Sheryl Lutz-Brown | Design |
| 36 | Ruth Marten | Illustrations |
| 37 | "Big" Mike McKendrick | Banjo, Guitar, Soloist |
| 38 | Murray Mencher | Composer |
| 39 | Sidney Mitchell | Composer |
| 40 | Billy Moll | Composer |
| 41 | Billy Moore Jr. | Composer |
| 42 | Maceo Pinkard | Composer |
| 43 | Andy Razaf | Composer |
| 44 | Don Redman | Composer |
| 45 | Leon René | Composer |
| 46 | Otis Rene | Composer |
| 47 | Joshua Sherman | Series Producer |
| 48 | Randi Alyssa Sherman | Production Coordination |
| 49 | Billy Strayhorn | Piano |
| 50 | Jack Teagarden | Trombone |
| 51 | Fats Waller | Composer |
| 52 | Elmer "Skippy" Williams | Sax (Tenor) |
| 53 | Spencer Williams | Composer |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |