Album Reviews

This agreeable set of standards sung by Louis Armstrong backed by the Oscar Peterson Quartet, then consisting of Herb Ellis, Ray Brown and Louis Bellson recorded at the then new Capitol Studios, L.A. in 1957 but not released in stereo until 1959, was a follow-up of sorts to the highly successful Norman Granz-produced Ella & Louis (Verve MGV-4003) recorded August of 1956.

Like this set, Armstrong and Fitzgerald there were backed by the Oscar Peterson Quartet, but with Buddy Rich drumming instead of Louis Bellson.

The installation of stereo capabilities in between the two sessions permitted Capitol to record this session in stereo, though the stereo LP was a few years off.

Louis, then in his mid ‘50s, and the all-star backing band cover a dozen familiar tunes including “That Old Feeling” “Let’s Fall In Love” (in which Louis takes a solo an octave up from what’s expected), “Just One of Those Things”, and “What’s New”.

Armstrong does some trumpet soloing throughout but for the most part this is a “Pops” pop vocal showcase that presages by seven years Armstrong’s unlikely in the age of The Beatles #1 “Hello Dolly” monster hit.

Listening to Louis’s loose, swinging vocalizing one can easily imagine a 10 year old Tom Waits listening to this album and figuring out a Louis imitation that stuck.

The early stereo recording puts Peterson in the left channel, Ellis, Brown and Bellson in the right and Armstrong and his horn dead center unadorned by echo or any effects whatsoever. The mix lays back the accompaniment while spotlighting the vocalist-star who is “in your room” singing just to you. Unfortunately, Armstrong sings too close to the microphone and on a few vocal punctuations oversaturates the tape, which produces some genuinely nasty, though fleeting distortion (it’s not mistracking).

Despite engineer Val Valentin’s screw-up, Granz must have been a forgiving soul. Valentin became Verve’s Chief Engineer whose name appeared on many if not most Verve releases whether or not he engineered them including the electronically reprocessed albums labeled “Sounds Great in Stereo” (translation: probably would sound great in stereo, unfortunately this was a mono recording so we’ll ruin it with electronic games and not tell you about it, but you’ll hear it!).

However, it would be your loss if an occasional sonic blemish dissuades you from purchasing this buoyant, thoroughly enjoyable and otherwise well-recorded Armstrong set. Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson provides a guaranteed emotional pick-up in genuinely dreary times.

The sealed review copy was perfectly pressed at QRP and 100% silent, with the super-black backgrounds that QRP manages when all goes well in their presses.