Rating:
Genre:
Jazz
Release Date: 01/24/2006
The Definitive Collection devoted to
Louis Armstrong takes a reverse chronological view of the
pop giant's career, a format that functions surprisingly well considering its intended purpose. Beginning with his last major performance, 1967's
"What a Wonderful World," the disc takes listeners on a 75-minute tour that pays closest attention to his
pop and vocal landmarks of the '50s and '60s with his
All-Stars group, but also reaches back to 1938 to pick up the best moments of his excellent
big band. (That leaves, of course, his seminal
Hot Five sides out in the cold, to be picked up elsewhere.) Also briefly surveyed are his multi-album collaboration with
Ella Fitzgerald, his lush "
Louis with strings" albums arranged by
Russ Garcia, his hit duet with
Bing Crosby on
"Gone Fishin'," and the series of songs (
"Blueberry Hill," "Mack the Knife") that lengthened his sheet to include not only
Jazz Age hero and
swing progenitor, but also postwar
pop stalwart. Clearly, the career of
Louis Armstrong the
jazz artist can't be covered thoroughly with anything but a box set that selects material from his entire working life, but as an overview of
Louis Armstrong the
pop singer,
The Definitive Collection is peerless. One caveat:
Armstrong's best latter-day
pop song,
"We Have All the Time in the World" (from the 1969
James Bond vehicle
On Her Majesty's Secret Service), is sadly missing in action.
~John Bush, All Music Guide
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