Louis Armstrong

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Louis Armstrong and the All Stars : Louis Armstrong (tp,vcl), Trummy Young (tb,vcl), Joe Darensbourg (cl), Billy Kyle (p), Billy Cronk (b), Danny Barcelona (d), Jewel Brown (vcl on 7-8). Guest star Monica Zetterlund (vcl on 10).

Filmed at the Cirkus, Stockholm, Sweden, May 25, 1962.

Tracks: 1. Indiana, 2. A Kiss to Build a Dream On, 3. My Bucket's Got a Hole in It, 4. Tiger Rag, 5. Blueberry Hill, 6. Mack the Knife, 7. All of Me, 8. Saint Louis Blues, 9. When the Saints Go Marchin' In, 10. My Man, 11. After You've Gone, 12. When it's Sleepy Time Down South.

Bonus Program: Louis Armstrong (tp,vcl), Tyree Glenn (tb,vc, vibes on 16), Buster Bailey (cl), Billy Kyle (p), Buddy Catlett (b), Danny Barcelona (d), Jewel Brown (vcl on 17). TV Show, Hollywood, California, July 1965.
Tracks: 13. When it's Sleepy Time Down South, 14. Struttin' with Some Barbecue, 15. A Lot of Livin' to Do, 16. Avalon, 17. My Man, 18. Mack the Knife, 19. Ole Miss.
Total Time: 68 mins. (B&W / Mono)


In the late-Forties, Louis Armstrong disbanded his orchestra and returned to the small group format, resulting in the birth of his legendary "All Stars" band. In its original incarnation, it was a truly all-star quintet, which boasted the great Earl Hines, Jack Teagarden, Barney Bigard and Sidney Catlett as its other members. Sustaining a group that included so many former leaders was not easy, and although the name remained, the components changed. This 1962 concert at Stockholm, for instance, presents none of the original members except for Louis himself. The band members proved effective accompanists for the group's primary star. Most of them were well known jazz figures. Pianist Billy Kyle garnered a reputation while playing and arranging for the legendary John Kirby Sextet. Trombonist and singer Trummy Young had been with the modern jazz players of the early forties, recording with Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie before joining Louis. Clarinettist Joe Darensbourg had played with both Kid Ory and Teddy Buckner. Billy Cronk and Danny Barcelona didn't enjoy the same renown as the other members, but were highly professional musicians nonetheless. Among the many highlights of this performance is singer Monica Zetterlund's guest appearance singing "My Man" backed by Louis.

The bonus TV show, filmed three years later, includes two important musicians: trombonist, vibraphonist and singer Tyree Glenn (who also played with Duke Ellington) and the great clarinettist Buster Bailey, who had recorded his first sides with Louis in 1923, when both were members of King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band.