Ken Burns Jazz

1	Chimes Blues / King Oliver & His Creole Jazz Band 2:52
2	Cake Walking Babies from Home / Clarence Williams' Blue Five 2:58
3	Heebie Jeebies / Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five 2:53
4	Potato Head Blues / Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven 2:57
5	West End Blues / Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five 3:15
6	Tight Like This / Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five 3:13
7	Mahogany Hall Stomp / Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars 3:16
8	Ain't Misbehavin' / Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra 3:22
9	Black and Blue / Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra 3:09
10	St. Louis Blues 2:58
11	When It's Sleepy Time Down South 3:23
12	Blue Again 3:12
13	Lazy River 3:05
14	Chinatown, My Chinatown 3:16
15	Stardust / Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra 3:34
16	Shadrack / Lynn Murray Singers 2:35
17	I Double Dare You 2:58
18	When the Saints Go Marching In 2:44
19	Marie / Mills Brothers 2:24
20	Rockin' Chair / Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars 5:10
21	Blueberry Hill / Gordon Jenkins & His Orchestra 2:53
22	Mack the Knife / Louis Armstrong & His All-Stars 3:23
23	A Fine Romance 3:52
24	Hello, Dolly! 2:25
25	What a Wonderful World 2:17

Barnes & Noble

He taught the world how to swing, many critics have said. But before Louis Armstrong taught us that, he had to teach us how to listen. And from his earliest recordings in Chicago as a sideman in King Oliver's band through his triumphs at the head of small groups and big bands of every description -- first in Chicago, then in New York, and, from there, around the world, as America's cultural ambassador -- Armstrong's irrepressible personality no less than his virtuosic trumpet playing and singing taught us something more fundamental. He really taught us how to smile. There probably isn't a corner of the world that hasn't been reached by a Louis Armstrong performance -- whether with one of his "good ol' good ones," with his Hot Five in Chicago of the 1920s, or with "Hello, Dolly!" from Broadway in the 1960s. Wherever, and so long as, there's music, there will be Louis Armstrong. And there will be joy. Satchmo Forever!

All Music Guide

In conjunction with the release of Ken Burns' ten-part, 19-hour epic PBS documentary Jazz, Columbia issued 22 single-disc compilations devoted to jazz's most significant artists, as well as a five-disc historical summary. Since the individual compilations attempt to present balanced overviews of each artist's career, tracks from multiple labels have thankfully been licensed where appropriate. Louis Armstrong is arguably the most important figure in jazz history -- he was jazz's first real virtuoso and first true improviser; he invented scat singing; and his gravelly, instantly recognizable voice and larger-than-life personality made him a crucial force in popularizing the music. Over the course of 25 tracks, this installment of Ken Burns Jazz traces Armstrong's career from his seminal early sides up through his pop hits of the '50s and early '60s. The set opens with selections from his recordings with the Hot Fives and Hot Sevens, some of the most celebrated in jazz thanks to Armstrong's jubilant, impeccably constructed solos. His later pop material isn't as interesting to some jazz purists -- especially since it doesn't always emphasize his instrumental work -- but it went a long way toward cementing Armstrong's status as an icon among the general public and is full of his warmly ingratiating personality. Ken Burns Jazz features the best of the best from both distinct phases of Armstrong's career, and while there are more extensive (and cohesive) compilations of each, this makes for an extremely strong introduction to one of the greatest figures in American music. Steve Huey