“SATCHMOCRACY knocked me out from start to finish and listening to it was one of my most satisfying experiences in a very turbulent year. Instead of pretending it’s the 1920s, Jerome Etcheberry and company perform this music in the 2020s, keeping it fresh-sounding and moving forward. In such a contemporary, swinging setting, Louis Armstrong’s original trumpet lines jump out and hit the listener between the ears in exciting new ways, especially when scored for multiple instruments and when placed over consistently shifting rhythms. It’s further proof that every note Armstrong played will simultaneously remain hip and timeless, especially when presented the way it’s done on SATCHMOCRACY!”

From a label with no shortage of first-rate jazz material come this very attractive vocal sampler. Staying true to the Compact Jazz ethos, Best of the Jazz Vocalists favors quality over hits and comes with a budget price tag. The majority of songs are from the label's prime '50s and '60s run, including a cloud-bound "Summertime" by Helen Merrill and one of the all-time great versions of "If You Could See Me Now," compliments of Billy Eckstine. Continuing with this balancing act between the sexes, the collection also includes fine work by Bill Henderson, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Abbey Lincoln, Jon Hendricks, Shirley Horn, and Anita O'Day; latter-day entries include Lincoln's "I've Got Thunder and It Rings" from her 1990 Verve debut and Horn's "I Got Lost in His Arms" from 1988's Close Enough for Love. Nicely wrapped up with Nina Simone's Afro-percussion clarion call "Come Ye," this Verve roundup works as the perfect primer for more adventurous trips through the label's fertile stores of essential jazz.

Recorded in the 1920s, Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives and Hot Sevens sides are still hailed as some of the greatest and most influential jazz sessions ever captured; musicians obsess over their warmth, wit, and joy to this day. A new live recording by Wynton Marsalis — another acclaimed New Orleans trumpeter— reimagines classics from those sessions like “Basin Street Blues,” “St. James Infirmary,” and “Heebie Jeebies” for a whole new generation of audiences.

MFSL LIMITED GOLD EDITION. This 24-Karat Gold Limited Edition is an audiophile collectors item that simply gives the feeling of being directly in the studio with the artist.

The title of this compilation is a bit misleading, as Louis Armstrong only appears on seven of the CD's 20 tracks. All of them were recorded during a visit by the trumpeter to France in 1934 and were made on the sly, since he was under an exclusive contract to another label. The all-stars were primarily European musicians assembled for the session, though pianist Herman Chittison, a fellow American, makes his mark in "Super Tiger Rag," along with the leader's crisp, high-note solo. They compare favorably with some of Armstrong's later work back home with larger orchestras, but for the most part, the music is of minimal interest aside from his contributions. The other selections are a mixed bag…

Satchmo at Pasadena provides an enjoyable but incomplete presentation of Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars recorded live on January 1, 1951. The Pasadena Civic Auditorium concert found Armstrong fronting an edition of the All-Stars with trombonist Jack Teagarden, clarinetist Barney Bigard, pianist Earl Hines, bassist Arvell Shaw, Cozy Cole on drums, and vocalist Velma Middleton on two tracks. At the time of this concert, musicians began to take advantage of the new LP format that allowed them to bypass the usual three-minute time constraints of 78 rpm and stretch out a bit. Armstrong was no exception, and even though Satchmo is more of the ringleader/vocalist/showman on this set, the All-Stars provide some heated improvising, especially Hines on "Honeysuckle Rose" and Bigard's clarinet solo on the otherwise knockabout version of "Just You, Just Me"…

This is the soundtrack from the movie. The music is conducted by the Hollywood regular Joseph Gershenson. Gershenson wisely uses members of the original band for these stereo recreations. The sound comes close, but is lacking the punch and precision that Miller himself provided with his band. What's odd is that Decca chose to include two cuts by Louis Armstrong and his all stars. They make an appearance in the movie, so they included two cuts by Satchmo. Up until recently, these cuts by Armstrong had been very difficult to find, until Verve's reissue of Armstrong's I Love Jazz.