Satch Blows the Blues

Mohammed Ali, the greatest fighter of all time, and Louis Armstrong, the greatest jazz musician of all time. His spontaneity and inventive musical style remains the sole blueprint for aspiring and established musicians. As Miles Davis once stated, no musician can play any tune without repeating what 'Pops' has already done. Ironically, the title of this great album Satch Blows The Blues is misleading; even when playing the blues he swings with sweeping rhythms and effortless improvisations that touch the soul and make your body move. Dating back to 1928, this CD documents Armstrong's instinctive sounds of his native New Orleans covering folk songs, spirituals, marches (a New Orleans staple for funerals and big celebrations) and hymns. These are the rhythmic sounds that became his distinctive foundation for worldwide success.

Here you have a treasure chest of 16 gems that flourished from the roots of Armstrong's childhood musical experience and imagination. His phenomenal coronet penetrates every track with his orchestra recordings, as well as his Hot Five, Savoy Room Five and his All-Stars Quintet. His passionate graveled vocals on St. Louis Blues, Black and Blue and Yellow Dog Blues are just as superlative as his instrumental solos. Armstrong's music is ageless.

-Ron Scott

Of less importance than the concurrent release of The Best of Louis Armstrong: The Hot Five and Seven Recordings is Satch Blows the Blues, since it only distills the great Satchmo into one field he excelled at (sort of like a documentary devoted entirely to Babe Ruth's cannon-like throwing arm), but for those deep in the lues themselves, there's no denying the deep-soul balm of "Memories of You" and his famous comment on the effects of racism, "Black and Blue." So many of these songs he would revisit again decades later, such as "When You're Lover Has Gone," but this is the purest form of the deep, dark night of longing, missing, doing without, and licking one's wounds -- with sweet vibraphone, elongated trumpet solos, and his syrupy, sandpapery, sad voice. You can't go wrong with anything international musical ambassador Satchmo did when he was playing honest jazz. This is just the latest entry in Armstrong bins that take up rows and rows in any store; dive in just about anywhere that looks good. ~ Jack Rabid, All Music Guide