We don't get many albums by jazz's first great figure so when one arrived featuring a couple of early editions of the All-Stars it was a moment to savour as well as one to ponder upon.
In a sense it was, to use that hackneyed old cliché, a game of two halves. On paper, the personnel for the 1948 Paris concerts looked to be the stronger. Teagarden, Bigard, Hines and Big Sid + Pops out front, was surely one of Armstrong's strongest line-ups - wasn't it?
Maybe it was but, somehow, it didn't quite gel like the later team. Teagarden, by this time, was getting tired and relying on a set of well-used phrases. Bigard, despite his New Orleans heritage seemed slightly out of place although his virtuosity remained intact. Hines and Catlett, jazz superstars in their own right, weren't cut out to be sidemen and I understand there were also side issues.
Maybe it was but, somehow, it didn't quite gel like the later team. Teagarden, by this time, was getting tired and relying on a set of well-used phrases. Bigard, despite his New Orleans heritage seemed slightly out of place although his virtuosity remained intact. Hines and Catlett, jazz superstars in their own right, weren't cut out to be sidemen and I understand there were also side issues.
By contrast, the 1952 session was everything the previous session should have been but wasn't. The big difference was Trummy Young. Teagarden may have had more finesse but it was Trummy who could work the crowd, no doubt his JATP gigs honed those skills. McCracken, to the best of my knowledge, only played briefly with Armstrong but he did the job well and fitted in better than Bigard. Napoleon too seemed more committed than Hines and, in Cozy Cole, they had a drummer who could match Big Sid without dropping too many bombs. Arvell Shaw was on both gigs. Needless to say, the leader was at the top of his game and reminding us why he was, and still is, held in awe by his peers,
Last, and by no means least, a couple of songs from Velma didn't do any harm although the vocal honours were undoubtedly Louis' on A Kiss to Build a Dream on.
Live in Europe may not go down in history as the greatest album by the All-Stars but few fans will want to be without it!
Lance
Louis Armstrong (trumpet/vocal); Jack Teagarden (trombone/vocal); Barney Bigard (clarinet); Earl Hines (piano); Arvell Shaw (bass); Sid Catlett (drums) - Feb. 22/23, 1948.
Muskrat Ramble: Rockin' Chair; Rose Room; Royal Garden Blues; Panama; On the Sunny Side of the Street; Black and Blues; Them There Eyes.
Louis Armstrong (trumpet/vocal); Trummy Young (trombone); Bob McCracken (clarinet/vocal); Marty Napoleon (piano); Arvell Shaw (bass); Cozy Cole (drums); Velma Middleton (vocal) - Oct. 12, 1952.
My Bucket Got a Hole in it; Way Down Yonder in New Orleans; Croquette; Lover Come Back to me;Can Anyone Explain?; Tin Roof Blues; A Kiss to Build a Dream on.
Available on Dot Records DT8015
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