Additional information
Personnel: Louis Armstrong (vocals, trumpet); Velma Middleton (vocals); Trummy Young (vocals, trombone); Edmond Hall (vocals, clarinet); Billy Kyle (piano); Dale Jones (bass); Barrett Deems (drums). Recorded at Medina Temple, Chicago, Illinois on June 1, 1956. Includes liner notes by Dan Morgenstern and George Avakian. A sublimely joyous set of music, THE GREAT CHICAGO CONCERT 1956 captures Louis Armstrong in the small group format to which he had returned in 1947, when the economy of the music business made big bands infeasible. The show at which these tracks were recorded was a benefit billed as "50 Years of Jazz." The program consisted of narration by actress Helen Hayes interspersed with musical illustration by the All Stars (the narration is edited out). Because of the unusual situation, Armstrong was forced to deviate somewhat from his standard repertoire. Consequently, there are a few uneven, but fun, performances on disc one (including an opening track that is poorly recorded due to the band marching, New Orleans brass band style, to the stage). The majority of the recordings, however, are prime live "Pops," complete with humorous asides and a wide variety of classic material, all played with the passion and virtuosity that made Armstrong a household name. The individual All Stars play brilliantly, especially pianist Billy Kyle (one of the disc's highlights is hearing singer Velma Middleton, apparently watching in the wings, yelling to Kyle that he "plays so sexy!").
