The Definitive Collection

by Louis Armstrong

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/24/2006
Label:	Hip-O Records
UPC:	0602498828892
catalogNumber:	000489302
Rank:	15985

Tracks

1. What a Wonderful World
2. Cabaret
3. Dream a Little Dream of Me
4. Hello, Dolly!
5. Our Love Is Here to Stay
6. I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues
7. Georgia on My Mind
8. When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You)
9. On the Sunny Side of the Street
10. Mack the Knife
11. Basin Street Blues
12. Someday (You'll Be Sorry)
13. It Takes Two to Tango
14. Gone Fishin'
15. A Kiss to Build a Dream On
16. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)
17. Blueberry Hill
18. Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?
19. I Want a Little Girl
20. Ain't Misbehavin'
21. Struttin' with Some Barbecue
22. When the Saints Go Marching In
23. When It's Sleepy Time Down South

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Louis Armstrong   Primary Artist,Trumpet,Vocals
Henry "Red" Allen   Trumpet
Paul Barbarin   Drums
Louie Bellson   Drums
Will Bradley   Trombone
Herb Ellis   Guitar
Ella Fitzgerald   Vocals
Urbie Green   Trombone
Gordon Jenkins   Conductor
Hank Jones   Piano
Yank Lawson   Trumpet
Albert Nicholas   Reeds
Kid Ory   Trombone
Oscar Peterson   Piano
Jerome Richardson   Clarinet,Flute,Tenor Saxophone
Lucky Thompson   Tenor Saxophone
Red Nichols   Trumpet
Luis Russell   Piano
Dave Barbour   Guitar
Billy Butterfield   Trumpet
Joe Darensbourg   Clarinet
Ziggy Elman   Trumpet
Russell Garcia   Conductor
Tyree Glenn   Trombone
Edmond Hall   Clarinet,Alto Saxophone
Klink   Clarinet,Tenor Saxophone
Carl Kress   Guitar
Bernie Leighton   Piano
Lou McGarity   Trombone
Sy Oliver   Conductor
Babe Russin   Saxophone
Zutty Singleton   Drums
Grady Tate   Drums
Joe Wilder   Trumpet
Dick Taylor   Trombone
Trummy Young   Trombone
Bill Atkinson   Trombone
Louis Bacon   Trumpet
Danny Barcelona   Drums
Everett Barksdale   Guitar
Joe Benjamin   Bass
Barney Bigard   Clarinet
Lee Blair   Guitar
Sandy Block   Bass
Ray Brown   Bass
Red Callender   Bass
Toots Camarata   Conductor
Buddy Catlett   Bass
Pete Clark   Reeds
Clark Terry   Trumpet
Rupert Cole   Clarinet,Alto Saxophone
Bob Cusmano   Trumpet
Cutty Cutshall   Trombone
Vic Dickenson   Trombone
George Dorsey   Alto Saxophone
Art Drelinger   Tenor Saxophone
Nick Fatool   Drums
Pops Foster   Bass
Babe Fresk   Tenor Saxophone
Tony Gattuso   Banjo,Guitar
Squire Gersh   Bass
Minor Hall   Drums
J.C. Higginbotham   Trombone
Charlie Holmes   Clarinet,Reeds,Alto Saxophone
Dick Jacobs   Alto Saxophone
Hilton Jefferson   Alto Saxophone
J.J. Johnson   Trombone
Billy Kyle   Piano
Jack Lesberg   Bass
Bingie Madison   Clarinet,Reeds,Tenor Saxophone
Carmen Mastren   Guitar
Dave McRae   Baritone Saxophone
Joe Muranyi   Clarinet
Allan Reuss   Guitar
Art Ryerson   Guitar
Russell Savkas   Bass
Hymie Schertzer   Alto Saxophone,Baritone Saxophone
Bud Scott   Guitar
Arvell Shaw   Bass
Norris "Bunny" Shawker   Drums
Phil Stephens   Bass
Melvin Tax   Tenor Saxophone
Daniel Trimboli   Flute,Alto Saxophone,Tenor Saxophone
George Washington   Trombone
Milt Yaner   Clarinet,Alto Saxophone
Wilbur De Paris   Trombone
Sam Weiss   Drums
Charlie Beal   Piano
Phil Giardina   Trombone
Kenny John   Drums
Willard Suyker   Guitar
Philburn   Trombone
Andrew Ferretti   Trumpet
Allen Hanlon   Guitar
Warren Hard   Percussion
Carl Poole   Trumpet
Jack Satterfield   Trombone
Phillip Shuken   Saxophone
Sid Stoneburn   Clarinet
Larry Wright   Saxophone
John Scott Trotter   Conductor
Ed Grady   Drums
Sam Markowitz   Clarinet,Flute,Alto Saxophone
Haig Stephens   Bass
Jack Chaney   Saxophone
Bill Holcombe   Baritone Saxophone
Nat Jaffe   Piano
Tommy Goodman   Conductor
Freddy Williams   Clarinet,Tenor Saxophone
Wendell Mayhew   Trombone
Perry Borkin   Guitar
Raymond Stanfeld   Baritone Saxophone
Warren Baker   Saxophone
Robert Davidson   Drums
Paul "Scooby" Smith   Piano
Bobby Guy   Trumpet
Commanders   Track Performer

Technical Credits

Marc Blitzstein   Composer
George Gershwin   Composer
Kurt Weill   Composer
Hoagy Carmichael   Composer
Gordon Jenkins   Arranger
Fats Waller   Composer
Luis Russell   Arranger
Russell Garcia   Arranger
Sy Oliver   Arranger
Jimmy McHugh   Composer
Harold Arlen   Composer
Bertolt Brecht   Composer
Andy Razaf   Composer
Jerry Herman   Composer
Fabian André   Composer
Louis Armstrong   Composer
Lil Armstrong   Composer
Norman Granz   Producer
Toots Camarata   Arranger
Eddie DeLange   Composer
Dorothy Fields   Composer
Mark Fisher   Composer
Will Friedwald   Essay
Ira Gershwin   Composer
Haven Gillespie   Composer
Joe Goodwin   Composer
Oscar Hammerstein   Composer
Gus Kahn   Composer
Bert Kalmar   Composer
Billy Moll   Composer
Vincent Rose   Composer
Harry Ruby   Composer
Wilbur Schwandt   Composer
Harry Beasley Smith   Composer
Larry Stock   Composer
Bob Thiele   Composer,Producer
George David Weiss   Composer
Spencer Williams   Composer
Stuart Gorrell   Composer
Michael Kapp   Producer
John Scott Trotter   Arranger
David Redfern   Back Cover
Harry Brooks   Composer
Jean-Pierre Leloir   Cover Photo
Fred Ebb   Composer
Tommy Goodman   Arranger
Ted Koehler   Composer
Louis Alter   Composer
Murray Mencher   Composer
Clarence Muse   Composer
Larry Shay   Composer
Dick Manning   Composer
Pat Lawrence   Executive Producer
Traditional   Composer
Ryan Null   Photo Coordination