Louis Armstrong's tenure as second cornetist to the great
King Oliver is one of jazz history's legendary apprenticeships, on par with the one
Miles Davis served with
Charlie Parker or
Stephane Grappelli's with
Django Reinhardt. Sadly, only a handful of recordings survive from this formative period in
Armstrong's career. This LP features 18 of
King Oliver's 1923 recordings with
Armstrong, as well as a bonus appendix consisting of seven tracks recorded in 1924 by the Red Onion Jazz Babies under
Armstrong's sole leadership (and featuring, on one number, a very young
Alberta Hunter). The performances are as red-hot as you'd expect, and include two
King Oliver and
Jelly Roll Morton duets. ~ Rick Anderson