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Louis Armstrong
Live at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival
(Concord)
#9 Boxed Set/Live Album/Music DVD for 2007
First Appeared in The Music Box, October 2007, Volume 14, #10
Written by Douglas Heselgrave
Thu October 4, 2007, 11:00 AM CDT
"Man, all my shows are special."
– Louis Armstrong
By 1958, Louis Armstrong was an artist in a paradoxical position. He was a
grizzled survivor from the early days of jazz, and his best work was recorded
decades in the past. Yet, much like it often is true of those at the forefront
of a genre, it took the general public years to appreciate his contributions. At
this late date in Satchmo’s life, he was just entering the height of his
commercial popularity. Numerous film appearances, notably his role alongside
Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra in the 1956 box office hit High Society,
had raised his public profile to an unprecedented level. These, coupled with
then-recent albums that showcased Armstrong as a popular singer rather than as a
musician and bandleader — Hello Dolly being the most widely recognized —
helped to recast him as jazz music’s first crossover superstar.
As the 1950s drew to a close, jazz was entering a new era, and a younger
generation of players was helping to expand and redefine the art form. Many of
these developing artists, which included Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, often
were critical of Armstrong and the image he portrayed. For as great a trumpeter
as Satchmo still was, Davis was particularly savage in his attacks of the man,
saying that his perpetual grin and "Uncle Tom showboating" were doing a
disservice to the music and to black performers in general. Stung by these
criticisms, Armstrong responded by stating that he was no one’s Uncle Tom and
that given the extremely racist environment in which he came of age, he had done
all that he could have to assert himself as a black musician. Indeed, from the
early days of his career, Armstrong refused to play at hotel clubs where he was
not also welcome to stay as a guest. A deeply private man, he preferred to let
his music do his talking for him, and when he took the stage before a rapt
audience at the first Monterey Jazz Festival in 1958, he and his trumpet spoke
volumes, clearly melting the hearts of the staunchest critics in his audience.
At Monterey, Armstrong essentially delivered the same set, with only a few
substitutions, that he routinely played 200 nights a year in front of audiences
from all over the world. There were few surprises in the song selections as
every number on the program had been played to death by Armstrong and his band.
Yet, listening to the concert almost 50 years after it was recorded, it is easy
to find a lot to enjoy and appreciate. Armstrong, himself, is in fine form.
Every note from his horn and every phrase that he sings exude joy and effortless
virtuosity. He was a consummate showman, and it is obvious that he held the
entire audience in the palm of his hand.
Beginning with his signature song When It’s Sleepy Time Down South,
Armstrong offered a mixture of classic, New Orleans tunes as well as new
numbers, such as Blueberry Hill and Mack the Knife. There are no
wasted notes or unnecessary gestures anywhere in his performance. Though his
solos are shorter and less emphatic than they were during his heyday in the ’30s
and ’40s, there is a kind of zen simplicity to them that easily demonstrates the
lessons he learned during his life on the road. Armstrong’s focus is phenomenal
throughout Live at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival, and his ability not
only to hone right in on what is important in each phrase but also to deliver
the goods with a minimum of fuss is unparalleled in jazz. One would be hard
pressed to find a recording anywhere that expresses more delight in exploring a
simple melody than his solos on Autumn Leaves and These Foolish Things
do.
As good as it is, however, Live at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival is
not an ideal starting point for comprehending Armstrong’s work. His early
recordings with The Hot Five were more incendiary and groundbreaking, and his
sessions with trombonist Jack Teagarden, his duets with Ella Fitzgerald, and his
collaborations with Duke Ellington are all more essential. Regardless, there’s
no disputing that Live at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival is a lovely
set. It is full of wonderful tunes and spectacular performances, and it offers a
remarkable opportunity to spend an hour with one of the 20th
Century’s great musical minds. 
Live at the 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival is available from Amazon.com.
To order, Click Here!
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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