Louis Armstrong

Sometimes musical heroes become so iconic that the legend overwhelms the actual artist, but even decades after Louis Armstrong’s passing, his superhuman charisma and gargantuan gift still shine too brightly to ever be obscured. There’s just no overshadowing the man who practically invented jazz with those molten-hot trumpet licks on his 1927 milestones “Struttin’ With Some Barbecue” and “Potato Head Blues.” Even after Satchmo became a pop star who did as much singing as blowing, his larger-than-life personality shone through every second of his songs — is there any more accurate audio equivalent of a huge, toothy grin than his raspy, rascally tones on the show tune-turned-pop smash “Hello, Dolly!”?

In Next Steps, Satchmo slides into chanson, show tunes, and more.

You’d think that pioneering jazz as we know it would be enough for most folks, but Louis Armstrong’s unstoppable torrent of talent was just too big to be confined to a single style. He could tackle any kind of tune and make it his own — “La Vie En Rose” was French siren Edith Piaf’s signature song, but that didn’t stop Satchmo from taking it over with his tart trumpet licks and Crescent City croon. Years before “Blueberry Hill” became a rock ’n’ roll sensation for another son of New Orleans, Fats Domino, it was a piece of sweet, swaying pop perfection in Armstrong’s able hands. And if you think only a West Indian can cut a convincing calypso tune, listen to Louis leaping into the bongo-slapping beat of “High Society Calypso,” lending some island oomph to the upper-crust environs of MGM’s High Society musical in the process.

In Deep Cuts, Louis takes his proper place alongside some serious jazz royalty.

Great musicians sometimes travel in packs, and plenty of amazing artists sidled up to Satchmo to lay down some tracks. Bing Crosby, who began as a jazzman in the ’20s, too, teamed up with Armstrong to swap some swingin’ moves on “Now You Has Jazz.” The First Lady of Song herself, Ella Fitzgerald, leaned into Louis as close as you can get, for an intimate amble through “Cheek to Cheek.” Come to think of it, lots of legendary players partnered with Armstrong — jazz piano powerhouse Oscar Peterson laid deep-down bluesy licks all over the Mercer/Arlen standard “Blues in the Night,” while Louis became the lonesome train whistle blowing through the sorrow-soaked heart of the tune.

What kind of impact has Louis Armstrong’s music had? Let’s put it this way — the guy’s got his own postage stamp. And as we well know, your face doesn’t grace the U.S. mail just for scoring a few hit singles. As a trumpeter and bandleader, Louis laid down the Old Testament of jazz with his Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions in the ’20s. But he didn’t stop there; after kick-starting the jazz revolution, he became a full-blown pop star, singing and swinging on film and records, and becoming probably the single-most-beloved figure in all of American music. Satchmo left behind a mighty mountain of music, and we’ve scaled it from the foundation to the peak, picking up plenty of precious pieces along the way to offer you the ultimate Armstrong experience.