Customer Rating:  
Summary: Corny baloney
Comment: For someone purported to be one of the best jazz artist (innovative, versatile) this disk is hokey and corny. "Definitive" fluff la la la la la bull craap.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The (Far From Being) Definative Louis Armstrong
Comment: It's an OK album of his later stuff, but in NO WAY is it definative (to have a REAL greatest hits album, you'd need to put it on at least 6 discs). The people at Hip-O had a lot of nerve calling this "Definative". This doesn't even come close to defining Satchmo. Where's his stuff from King Oliver days, his Dreamland material, his hot 5's & 7's material, his duets with Ella Fitzgerald (Both Decca, and Verve), his material with Louis Jordan, his material with Fletcher Henderson, his material with Bessie Smith, and any of his 30's material. How many people know that Satch was one of those rare master musicians that continued to be a successful working musician through both the depression, and WW2?
To take a historical Icon like Louis Armstrong who had so many great songs with so many people, slap his last works on one disc, and have the nerve to call it definitive is a slap in the face.
Actually, Sony / Legacy's The Essential Louis Armstrong is a better selection disc wise if you want a slightly better definition of Satch, but I still say that a 6 disc Box Set would be more definitive.
Customer Rating:
Summary: MUST HAVE
Comment: I ORDERED THIS AND THE ESSENTIAL LOUIS ARMSTRONG BOTH ARE A MUST HAVE FOR ANY ONE WHO IS A MUSICAL STANDERS FAN. EVERY BIG HIT AND RARE TRACKS AND EVERY THING IN BETWEEN IS ON THESE CDS. WELL WORTH THE MONEY. PERFECT.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Louis sold his songs without even trying--and that's no small feat !!!
Comment: This single CD retrospective of artistry by the immortal Louis Armstrong is a keeper for his fans. The quality of the sound is good and I like the tracks on this disc. Sure, it's far from all of his best; but as a single CD retrospective this ain't too shabby!
The album starts off with the exquisite "What A Wonderful World;" this was recorded later in Louis's career and he still sounds a strong and marvelous as ever! The musical arrangement makes great use of the brass, strings and percussion. Awesome! "Cabaret" features Louis's vocals squarely in the spotlight--which is exactly where they should be--and Louis sings this with panache and all the positive energy anyone could ever muster! Moreover, listen also for "Dream A Little Dream Of Me;" Satchmo does this so wonderfully; I predict that you will enjoy this ballad very much.
Of course, "Hello, Dolly" was another huge hit for Louis Armstrong later on in his career; and just one listen will proves why. Love that arrangement! Louis Armstrong never sings a superfluous note and his gravelly voice just can't be beat. "On The Sunny Side Of The Street" is another tremendous hit; listen for that trumpet flourish at the very beginning of this number.
"Mack The Knife" is a good one from Louis Armstrong; and "Gone Fishin'" is a great duet between the great Bing Crosby and Louis himself. What a duet this is--I know you'll like it just as much as I do. In addition, there's also "Blueberry Hill" which sparkles like champagne when Louis performs this to perfection.
"Ain't Misbehavin'" is a whole lot of fun to hear; and the band that plays with Satchmo really plays beautifully. The album ends with a live track of Louis singing "When It's Sleepy Time Down South;" this makes a strong ending for this album and I also like this very much.
The liner notes have good artwork and there's an informative essay as well.
The great Louis Armstrong lives on through his fine and countless contributions to the arts. I recommend this for Louis Armstrong fans and people who enjoy classic jazz vocals.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good intro to jazz
Comment: I think this is an excellent album for someone who wants an easy-to-get-into introduction to jazz. It contains Louis' later hits, like Hello Dolly! which knocked the Beatles off the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top 100 list in 1964 and made Louis the oldest man ever to have a number one hit single.
This album also contains some superb earlier work including a taste of Louis duetting with Ella Fitzgerald accompanied by Oscar Peterson, and some terrific numbers like I Want a Little Girl from 1946.
All in all it is an extremely enjoyable listen. If it inspires some people to take an interest in jazz, when they didn't before, then so much the better, and if it doesn't, well it is still enjoyable in its own right.
Considering that Louis was one of the seminal players who practically invented jazz in the 1920s, and a key figure in the history of twentieth century popular culture whom every one ought to know about, this album is a pretty fun place to start.
From here I would perhaps move on to listen to the Best of the Verve Years with the duets with Ella Fitzgerald, and then to some of the earlier stuff.
[Oh, yes, one more thing. You can hear in Hello Dolly! that he pronounced his own name Loo-iss and not Loo-ee!]
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