Personnel includes: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet, cornet); Jack Teagarden (vocals, trombone); The Mills Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald (vocals); Don Redman (spoken vocals, alto saxophone); Earl Hines (spoken vocals, piano); Sidney Bechet (soprano saxophone); Teddy Hill (tenor saxophone); Henry "Red" Allen, Shelton Hemphill, Clark Terry (trumpet); King Oliver (cornet); Kid Ory, J.C. Higginbotham, Wilbur De Paris, J.J. Johnson (trombone); Johnny Dodds (clarinet); Lil Hardin Armstrong, Clarence Williams, Oscar Peterson (piano); Herb Ellis (guitar); Eddie Condon (banjo); George "Pops" Foster, Red Callender (bass); Baby Dodds (drums, chimes); Zutty Singleton, Paul Barbarin, Sid Catlett, Louis Bellson (drums).
Compilation producers: Michael Brooks, Ken Burns.
Recorded between 1923 and 1967. Includes liner notes by Doug Ramsey.
Digitally remastered by Darcy M. Proper (Sony Studios, New York, New York).
This is part of the Columbia/Legacy Ken Burns JAZZ series.
Personnel: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet); Jack Teagarden (vocals, trombone); Ella Fitzgerald, Eva Taylor, Harry Mills, John Mills, Sr., Herbert Mills (vocals); "Big" Mike McKendrick (guitar, banjo); Allen Hanlon, Willard Suyker, Will Johnson, Lee Blair, Herb Ellis, Art Ryerson, Lonnie Johnson, Carl Kress (guitar); Eddie Condon, Bill Johnson , Buddy Christian , Mancy Carr, Tony Gattuso, Johnny St. Cyr (banjo); Carroll Dickerson (violin); Sam Marowitz (flute, clarinet, alto saxophone); Jerome Richardson (flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone); Daniel Trimboli (flute, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); George James (clarinet, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone); Sidney Bechet (clarinet, soprano saxophone); Lester Boone, Rupert Cole, Albert Nicholas (clarinet, alto saxophone); Bingie Madison, Jimmy Strong (clarinet, tenor saxophone); Harry Carney (clarinet, baritone saxophone); Edmond Hall, Joe Darensbourg, Johnny Dodds, Peanuts Hucko, Barney Bigard (clarinet); Don Redman, Pete Clark, Bert Curry, Crawford Wethington, Hymie Schertzer, Milt Yaner, Charlie Holmes (alto saxophone); Thomas Parshley, Albert Washington, Jr., Art Drelinger, Teddy Hill (tenor saxophone); Raymond Stanfeld (baritone saxophone); Clark Terry, Carl Poole, Homer Hobson, Otis Johnson, Henry "Red" Allen, Louis Bacon, Joe Wilder, Yank Lawson, Zilner Randolph, Billy Butterfield, Shelton Hemphill (trumpet); King Oliver, Bobby Hackett (cornet); Fred Robinson , Honore Dutrey, John Thomas , J.C. Higginbotham, J.J. Johnson , Kid Ory, Urbie Green, Wilbur De Paris, Will Bradley, Trummy Young , Preston Jackson, Charlie Irvis (trombone); Pete Briggs (tuba); Gene Anderson (piano, celesta); Clarence Williams, Charlie Alexander , Dick Cary, Hank Jones , Lil Armstrong, Lil Hardin, Luis Russell, Oscar Peterson, Bernie Leighton, Billy Kyle , Earl Hines (piano); Baby Dodds (drums, chimes); Danny Barcelona, Grady Tate, Louie Bellson, Paul Barbarin, Art Taylor, Big Sid Catlett, Tubby Hall, Barrett Deems, Zutty Singleton, Johnny Blowers (drums); Warren Hard (percussion).
Liner Note Author: Doug Ramsey.
Recording information: 04/06/1923-08/16/1967.
Editor: Peter Keepnews.
Arrangers: Don Redman; Tommy Goodman; Gordon Jenkins.
Though documentarian Ken Burns's ten-part series JAZZ moves through several decades and several styles of jazz, the one figure who dominates the sonic/cultural landscape of the entire documentary is Louis Armstrong, the trumpeter/vocalist generally credited with inventing jazz as we know it and pioneering the art of improvisation. Covering Armstrong's career on a single disc is a tough job, but in conjunction with the series, we are able to see how these selections represent Armstrong's various periods of development. We get not only his pioneering early New Orleans cuts lie "Potato Head Blues" and "Chimes Blues," but his later pop crossover hits, such as "Hello Dolly" and "Mack the Knife." While the latter should be familiar to all, the former are probably known only to jazz fans, and will be a special treat for the neophyte listener.
