Great Armstrong Sounds

Waited a long time to get this CD to replace my old LP album.
Simply great to listen to. The musicians are having a great time, the crowd is responding. Nothing like live recording when you can get it, and I have quite a few live recordings of Armstrong. This is a must for your collection. The added bonus tracks are good but do not match the bouncing sound of the live recordings.

Great Music Poor SACD

Armstrong fans will appreciate the joyfull exuberance of these live european recordings. Audiophiles will cringe at the SACD treatment of this album. Analog tape hiss from the original recordings is faithfully reproduced on the SACD treatment and on quiet passages, the tape hiss is overwhelming and distracting. With the premium cost of SACD recordings, I think Columbia could have digitally cleaned this recording up before releasing it. Worth adding as a Jazz album, not worth adding as an SACD demo.

One of the top 3 Pops' recordings out there...

I think it is great that this is on CD, so maybe some more folks can discover it. Yes, Louis' two CDs (LPs) "Plays...Handy, Fats", are great recordings, but this takes a back seat to nothing. Satch Live, especially with Edmund Hall, (and Barrett Deems shows what he's all about on this one) and the rest of the All-Stars is pure Magic. The bonus tracks may be nice for some...me, I'll keep playing my third LP copy...

Tape Hiss is a GOOD THING

No comment on the recording itself - since I haven't heard it.



The best way to offer a old recording is straight - hiss and all. To "clean up" a recording - digitally or otherwise - is to harm it - even with today's technology. To remove the hiss is to remove the harmonics - which is what gives a live recording it's liveness.

Who needs great Armstrong? This one is fun.

I also wore out an LP of this album when I was young and cannot figure out why it took so long to be released. I also cannot understand why it is never played on radio. This is more fun than any of Armstrong's "great" work; perhaps it is too accessible for those who must feel "in."
"Undecided" is one of my favorite tracks, with Trummy Young just great on trombone. The drummer, Barrett Deems, is often overlooked--a master of jazz timing.
If you want "classic," get the W. C. Handy. If you want a lot of pleasure for years, get this one.