Louis Armstrong entered a new and lucrative phase of his career in 1947 when he broke up his big band and formed his All-Stars. While he was no longer considered the most “modern” jazz trumpeter, and there were others who could play faster, louder and higher, he remained a very important musical force. In the 1950s Satch’s tone was as beautiful as always, he took consistently powerful solos, and he blossomed even more than earlier as an entertainer and a singer. He remained at the top of his field.
Many jazz critics of the period complained about Armstrong’s live performances since they contained some set solos, bits of his bawdy humor, and (even as his repertoire evolved over time) a certain amount of predictability. There were always some inspired moments if fewer surprises during his shows than one might wish. However audiences loved Satchmo, his irresistible personality, and his brilliant horn playing. And even his detractors praised his two finest albums of the decade: Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy and Satch Plays Fats.
Ricky Riccardi, who has long championed the later years of Louis Armstrong (most notably in his superb book What A Wonderful World), persuaded the staff at Mosaic that reissuing Armstrong’s studio recordings made for the Columbia and RCA Victor labels was a logical follow-up to their 2014 nine-CD box set Columbia and RCA Victor Live Recordings of Lo
