Louis Armstrong and the All Stars
Looming like a Colossus behind all great jazz soloists is Louis Armstrong. This collection, which documents the years 1949-1957 (his last great creative period), has visits from drummer Gene Krupa, saxophonist Bud Freeman, pianist Earl Hines and trombonist Jack Teagarden and, of course, celestial trumpet: showers of bent notes and skyward runs, Armstrong's huge, resonant sound seeming to originate inside your head. (Mosaic Records, 35 Melrose Pl., Stamford, Conn. 06902)
FRANK SINATRA—THE COLUMBIA YEARS 1943-1952: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS
Sinatra was once dubbed Swoonatra because his dreamy balladry made girls go weak in the knees. On this 12-CD collection of 285 recordings, more than half of which have been unavailable since the 78-rpm era, he comes across as a vulnerable young suitor not yet wise to the ways of the world. The treacly string and choral arrangements are dated, but Sinatra's phrasing is impeccable and his purling legato free of the grit that has crept into his later work. (Legacy/Columbia)
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