Louis Armstrong-Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (1954)

Louis Armstrong is considered by many to be the greatest musician of all time, and his legacy, not only in jazz but also in popular music, is immense. We won't discuss his impressive career here; it would be difficult to summarize it in a few lines. Instead, we'll focus on one of his best recordings, "Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy", originally released in 1954. On that occasion, his big band consisted of Barney Bigard (clarinet), Arvell Shaw (double bass), Barrett Deems (drums), Billy Kyle (piano), Trummy Young (trombone), and Velma Middleton (vocals), in addition, of course, to Louis Armstrong (vocals and trumpet). In this recording, the father of jazz, Louis Armstrong, wanted to pay homage to the father of the blues, W.C. Handy, by reinterpreting some of his old blues songs in a jazz style. What we have here is traditional jazz, with the exuberance and talent of Louis Armstrong, who manages to create extraordinary Southern-influenced blues melodies. And although W.C. Handy was originally from Tennessee (born in Alabama), this is pure New Orleans jazz. The album begins with the dazzling "St. Louis Blues", the more leisurely "Yellow Dog Blues", the timeless melody of "Loveless Love", and blues standards such as "Aunt Hagar's Blues", "Long Gone", "The Memphis Blues", "Chantez-Les Bas (Sing 'Em Low)", "Hesitating Blues", and "Atlanta Blues (Make Me a Pallet on the Floor)".