It's difficult, if not truly impossible, to finitely pick Louis Armstrong's essential recordings, since the man transformed jazz -- and all of pop music -- profoundly in his career, and he didn't do it with one track, or two tracks, or even a dozen tracks; he did it by the sheer accumulation of... [+] Expand

It's difficult, if not truly impossible, to finitely pick Louis Armstrong's essential recordings, since the man transformed jazz -- and all of pop music -- profoundly in his career, and he didn't do it with one track, or two tracks, or even a dozen tracks; he did it by the sheer accumulation of his playing and singing. That said, this generous four-disc 92-track set brings together the essential tracks from Armstrong's early career between 1925 and 1940, the years when he was undeniably at his peak. Included are classics like "Heebie Jeebies," "Potato Head Blues," "Basin Street Blues," "Weather Bird," "Ain't Misbehavin'," and the brilliant "(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue," making this a fine survey of jazz's single greatest figure. The 50-page booklet and track-by-track annotation are big pluses as well. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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