During the 1950s, jazz impresario Norman Granz had three of the greatest jazz figures on his Verve Label: Oscar Peterson (1925–2007), Louis Armstrong (1901–1971) and Ella Fitzgerald (1917–1996), and he recorded them separately and, on occasion, together. Now, Verve/Ume has released on CD three invaluable box sets.
“Pops Is Tops: The Verve Studio Albums” is a four-CD compilation of Louis Armstrong’s 1957 studio recordings for Verve. While there are some golden trumpet solos (for example, “Let’s Fall in Love” and “Sweet Lorraine”), Satchmo concentrated mostly on his distinctive singing. Despite his gravelly voice, he had an ability to plumb the depths of a lyric. Of course, he could swing and scat.
‘Pops Is Tops’
“Pops Is Tops: The Verve Studio Albums” is a four-CD compilation of Louis Armstrong’s 1957 studio recordings for Verve. While there are some golden trumpet solos (for example, “Let’s Fall in Love” and “Sweet Lorraine”), Satchmo concentrated mostly on his distinctive singing. Despite his gravelly voice, he had an ability to plumb the depths of a lyric. Of course, he could swing and scat.The CDs “I’ve Got the World on a String” and “Louis Under the Stars” were both recorded with the Russ Garcia Orchestra, providing a lusher background than Armstrong usually had.
