[Dixielandjazz] Louis Armstrong reviewed - Jazz Times, March 2013

[Robert Ringwald]

Louis Armstrong: The OKeh, Columbia and RCA Victor Recordings 1925-1933 (Sony/Legacy)
by Jeff Tamarkin
Jazz Times, March 2013
Louis Armstrong's mammoth canon has been reshuffled and reconfigured so many times
that even the most determined collector or student could be forgiven for giving up:
Which recordings are truly important, which are marginal and which packages best
deliver that music in a meaningful, logical manner? "The OKeh, Columbia and RCA Victor
Recordings 1925-1933," 10 discs of Armstrong's earliest sides as a leader, handsomely
boxed, practically screams, "Start here." Its packaging is relatively Spartan compared
to other Armstrong collections, and the booklet is short on essay material (although
the discographical data is thorough). But the music is presented just the way it
should be: chronologically and comprehensively -- and sold affordably ($45 online).
To say that everyone who cares a whit about music should own these recordings would
not be an overstatement.
Nevertheless, the box has its issues. Because these recordings constitute the most
important of Armstrong's storied career -- and are some of the most vital in jazz
history -- it's all been available before, most of it in previous Sony Legacy packages,
making its contents redundant: The Hot Fives and Hot Sevens sides, which begin the
Armstrong saga, have been reissued by the company several times before, most notably
in a heralded four-CD set in 2000. (Many other labels have made the Hot Fives and
Sevens available as well, some outdoing Sony in presentation.) Similarly, Armstrong's
collaborations with Earl Hines, his initial New York and L.A. sides, his early '30s
Chicago sessions, all are old news -- there are no new finds, no fresh revelations.
And although there's probably only so much technology can do to enhance recordings
made in the '20s and '30s, there's no appreciable difference in the fidelity between
these new discs and previous Sony releases of this material.
The bottom line is that "The OKeh, Columbia and RCA Victor Recordings 1925-1933"
gathers together tidily a trove of essential American music that many will already
possess -- and those who don't should.
-30-

-Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
Amateur (ham) Radio Operator K6YBV
916/ 806-9551

"My choice early in life was either to be a piano player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference.” 
Harry S. Truman, 33rd President B: 5/8/1884 – d: 12/26/1972.