Dixieland Music

The sixteen tracks on THE ESSENTIAL LOUIS ARMSTRONG were drawn from the VERVE records archives. These recordings extend to 1966, with the earliest (and majority) from 1957 sessions. Emphasis here is on vocalizations, including two duets with Ella Fitzgerald. These jazz standards are all in stereo, and are uniformly excellent examples of later-career Satchmo. A highly enjoyable album.

TOTAL RUNNING TIME -- 61:39

This is a great compilation that will never, never grow old on you! Verve/Polygram's "Essential" series is a great one and this CD is a good example.

You will find yourself singing to the CD, singing after the CD is over and sharing this with your friends and family. This is an "essential" CD to have in your collection, as well as to round out what you have in your collection presently with Louis Armstrong's name on it!

This is a great compilation that will never, never grow old on you! Verve/Polygram's "Essential" series is a great one and this CD is a good example.

You will find yourself singing to the CD, singing after the CD is over and sharing this with your friends and family. This is an "essential" CD to have in your collection, as well as to round out what you have in your with Louis Armstrong's name on it!

This could be the best Louis CD out there. Everytime I play it I find myself singing along. Play it in the morning and it will start your day off right.

Without a doubt this was a fun and exciting time
in Armstrong's career, the music here is fantastic
and especially enjoyable for those who love the
early 1920s jazz. The sound is decent, but there
is one thing the listener should know: The recordings
are of live performances and almost every track is
formerly introduced by an announcer. There is a
charm to this, and we get a dash of banter between
Armstrong and the announcer, not to mention a nod to
the other musicians who play with Armstrong, but
'some' may find its repetiveness a bit distracting, though
to be fair, the chatting is quite brief.
For me, the music flows a bit better if you have 2 or
more disks playing on shuffle (to break up the somewhat
intrusive announcer). Listen to the Amazon samples
and you'll see what I mean; if you don't mind it,
go for it - the music is gold!

Actually I just ordered some second hand books about achitecture as Christmas gifts, and as a last thought added for myself a CD with some New Orleans Jazz from Preservation Hall, which I visited a few years ago. I was very surprised when about a week later I received one separate box all the way from Auckland, New Zealand, which just contained the New Orleans CD. The two books, coming from different book stores arrived as separate shipments - both in proper time before Christmas. The total postage - for three shipments - was very reasonable. Best regards
Kjeld Moselund, Denmark

As anyone knows who has visited New Orleans and been to Preservation Hall, a bare-bones venue where all you get is genuine old-time music, this band is as true to Dixieland's traditional roots as it gets. This recording is surprisingly hi-fi, and I had to check and make sure the players and singers weren't in the next room. The sound is very alive and crisp, the band's style engaging and laid back. The instrumental quality is outstanding throughout, are there are blue moments, as well as moments of sheer joy, spirituality, infectious liveliness, contemplativeness, and humor. What more could you want?

I'm really enjoying this one. It brings back a lot of memories. I only gave it 4 stars because a couple of the songs are recorded at too slow a tempo. For the most part though its pure good music, well performed by people who know their jazz. I listened to it to and from work today and the tunes are still going through my head.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band's 1997 release "Marching Down Bourbon Street" is actually a compilation of tracks from their "New Orleans, Volume..." albums released between the 1970s and 1990s. As most of those albums are now out of print, this is a great buy, especially at such a good price. Anyone who's ever been to Preservation Hall knows what a great show they put on, and they sound just as tight on record. The compilation includes their best known standards like "St. James Infirmary" and "The Bucket's Got a Hole in It," and of course "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "Amen," as well as technical masterpieces like "Hindustan" and "St. Louis Blues." A great purchase, highly recommended, this is fine New Orleans jazz!

Anyone who has visited Preservation Hall in New Orleans will truly appreciate this CD as it captures the feeling of that great joyful and music-filled room. To those who have not been blessed with that experience, this CD will certainly whet your appetite for Dixieland. I have been a fan of New Orleans Jazz for over 50 years and never tire of listening to the old standards featured here. St. James Infirmary is one of my all-time favorites and is particulary good here. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is one of the most important groups preserving and promoting this kind of music. This is also a super value and offers a good way to sample this music.

1. Back Home Again In IN./Put Your Arms Around Me Honey/Ida, Sweet As Apple Cider/Maple Leave Rag/Sw... 2. Poor Butterfly/St. Louis Blues 3. Bill Bailey/Give My Regards To Broadway/Anchors Aweigh/The Yellow Rose Of Texas/Tiger Rag 4. Shine On Harvest Moon/Come To Me My Melancholy Baby/Cuddle Up A Little Bit Closer/Oh, You Beauti... 5. Limehouse Blues/Yankee Doodle/Oh, Johnny/Pack Up Your Troubles/That's A Plenty 6. Alexander's Ragtime Band/American Patrol/Down By Teh Old Mill Stream/If You Were The Only Girl/Do... 7. When The Saints Go Marching In

I saw the original Preservation Hall Band several times with the Humphreys playing clarinet and trumpet. If you want the best of the best, get this first, and then the second and third volumes. I realize that nothing stays the same (the Humpreys were already in their eighties when I saw them), but there is no better listening on the face of the earth. I bought the vinyl albums at the shows, and still listen to them when I can, although it's a little hard to take them in the car with me. Thus the CDs. By the way, if you go to www.preservationhall.com, you can pick up an absolute gem called Sweet Emma and her Preservation Hall band. Recorded in 1964. One of the best 2 1/2 hours of dixieland ever recorded, and almost completely unknown, since you can only get it there.

I've been a fan of PHJB since I first visited the Hall in 1978 and purchased my first album. This recording took me back to New Orleans immediately. Have used Preservation Hall Jazz Band's music to set the mood for early 20th century American history lessons for years. Classic New Orleans jazz.

Let me just say that for any jazz fan, a trip to Preservation Hall in New Orleans must be on your list of things to do before you die. But if proximity is a problem for you at the moment, buying a Preservation Hall Jazz Band CD is pretty much the next best thing. I'm surprised that "New Orleans, Vol. 2" is out of print now, you can still find it in stores pretty regularly. Anyway, this is the group's second album, from 1981. On this album, the lineup includes trumpet player Percy Humphrey, pianist James Miller, banjo player Narvin Kimball, trombonist Frank Demond, clarinetist Willie Humphrey, drummer Cie Frazier, and tuba player Allan Jaffe. This wasn't the best lineup the group ever put together, but the standard pieces and style is all here. "New Orleans, Vol. 2" was recorded nicely in a studio, yet maintains a live feel of signature improvised solos and playing. They play the standards, and some of their most well loved pieces, such as the wonderful "St. Louis Blues" and "I Ain't Got Nobody," and the slow, bluesy singing is infused to the classics like "Shake It and Break It" and "The Bucket's Got a Hole in It." A lot of the songs here can be found on the group's numerous compilation releases. In any event, this album is great fun and extremely entertaining for any listener, and I highly recommend it.

An excellent CD of traditional Jazz! Everyting is done right. I've seen them live at Preservation Hall, nothing was lost going to CD.

This is a good live record of Armstrong with his best All Star - Line Up, Edmond Hall - Clarinet, Trummy Young - Trombone, Billy Kyle - Piano, Barrett Deems - Drums and Squire Gersh - Bass, Velma Middleton - Vocals.
Although I personally prefer Jazz with as little vocals as possible this is still a good record with the band playing well notable the great solo by Ed Hall on Sweet Georgia Brown with out any doubt the craziest solo ever played on that song.
The only "draw back" for me personally is the song choice :
I love Jazz, High Society, Ole Miss Blues, Blue Moon, Sweet Georgia Brown, Blues, Mack The Knife, Tenderly, Baby it's Cold Outside, C'est si bon.
I am missing the REAL Stuff like Mahogany Hall Stomp, Tiger Rag etc.
That's why only 4 points.
Satchmo The great is a record that I can recommend!!! One of the best Armstrong live-records ever.

This by far my favorite Louis CD I have found. While there are better quality recordings of some of these songs, this disc is worth the personality. It is one long live disc that carries humor and little jokes with all players in between each song. It showcases not just Satch, but Edmund Hall and Trummy Young as well.

Olde Miss Blues and Sweet Georgia Brown are my favorite for unique instrumental solos. Every performance of jazz is different, but I've never found one I like better than this one. This recording even contains Louis with a genuinely happy and jovial voice, far from many stiffer, more formal recordings. My disc has taken a beating, and it can only be replaced with this recording!

Okay, a LOT better. Some of the recordings sound horrible (especially St. Louis Blues, yick!). Most of these songs can be found with better quality, especially on the Ken Burn's JAZZ series Louis Armstrong CD. If you're a newbie to jazz, this wouldn't be bad to pick up, mostly due to the price, but if you're looking for a great CD to compliment an already-sizeable collection, give this one a pass.

My husband gave me this CD for christmas two years ago, more for himself, I think, than for me. It has turned into a family favorite as our kids (7 & 11) both love it too. The sound quality is UNBELIEVABLY good and the performance is unsurpassed in good humor. This is a top 5 CD of all time and I can't possibly say enough good things about it. (and check out the price!)