“Satchmo at Pasadena” – Louis Armstrong

Album: Satchmo at Pasadena

Artist: Louis Armstrong

Year: 1951

Genre: Jazz

Grade: A

Recorded live on January 30, 1951, at Pasadena Civic Auditorium, three decades since they popularized — and perfected — jazz itself, Satchmo at Pasadena finds Louis Armstrong and his All Stars still at the top of their game. The greatest popular music artist of the 20^th century — because back in ’51, you’d certainly consider that to be the case — even at 50 years old, Armstrong is as lively and energetic and fun as ever.

Pops hasn’t lost a step: his trumpet solos are still marvels to behold, and it’s easy to hear how revolutionary they must have sounded back in the 1920s. Likewise, his voice has retained all the warmth and convivial comedic charm it had since the beginning — maybe even grown funnier and more entertaining with age. On Satchmo at Pasadena, his skills as Master of Ceremonies are just as impressive as his musicianship.

At this point in his career, Armstrong has completely earned the right to coast. He doesn’t, of course — Satchmo always puts on a great performance — but he’s also content to hand off the jam sessions to his All Stars, an extremely talented troupe of middle-aged jazz veterans that includes pianist Earl Hines, who delivers a tremendous stride showcase on Fats Waller’s “Honeysuckle Rose”; trombonist Jack Teagarden, who leads a blissful rendition of Hoagy Carmichael’s “Stardust”; and clarinetist Barney Bigard, whose versatile, extended solo on “Just You, Just Me” (originally from the 1929 Marion Davies musical comedy Marianne) is one of the concert’s many highlights.

Yet the best song, easily, is Armstrong and Velma Middleton’s duet rendition of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” It’s the funniest and most self-aware version of the holiday standard ever recorded. I laugh my ass off every single time I hear it. Brilliant stuff.

Overall, Satchmo at Pasadena is a great, underrated album from Armstrong, a high-quality performance from a living legend still in his prime, or rather, a living legend whose prime never vanished, a prime that spanned the entirety of his long, memorable career. In the world of jazz, no one else compares.

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Accolades

• Top 10 Albums of 1951 — #7