Satchmo In Style

In there devotion to legend, some jazz writers have tended to gloss over or become petulant concerning a basic truth. Louis Armstrong is an entertainer, certainly, but show business all the same.

As George Avakin so aptly put in his essay about Armstrong in Jazz Makers (Rinehart): “He is, within the limitations of his field, a great comedian, and probably could have been a great actor. As it is, he plays in public a part based on his true personality, that of an enthusiastic, happy and elemental jolly-good fellow, and does it very well indeed.”

However, when one reads about Armstrong, one usually finds mention of his omnipresence as a jazz influence – instrumentally and vocally – and rightfully so; comparisons are made with the so called “purist” Armstrong of old; and then, with bold strokes, the writer inevitably paints the picture of the jazz giant who moves comfortably in the realm of commerciality.

This album is Armstrong, the jazz entertainer. He sings, humours, touches, and “wails” mingling the tonal characteristics, “time” and phrasing of the jazz singer with an entertainer’s “feel” for audiences.

Paired with the Gordon Jenkins Orchestra and Chorus, we have Satchmo in Style; the gem out of his usual jazz setting, inhabiting lusher environs. The frame for Armstrong makes for an interesting contrast. “Jenkins understands Louis,” saidour recording gentleman. “In this program, there is a meshing of two worlds and two personalities.”

The result is music for a diverse audience, not least of all for the people who savor the Armstrong voice and horn -his brand of entertainment.