Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy

This 1954 album is one of Louis Armstrong’s greatest achievements; with his working band (trombonist Trummy Young, clarinetist Barney Bigard, pianist Billy Kyle, bassist Arvell Shaw, drummer Barrett Deems, and singer Velma Middleton), he recorded versions of eleven tracks by W.C. Handy, known as the “Father of the Blues.” The performances are raucous and high-energy even at slower tempos; Kyle, Shaw and Deems hammer the rhythm down as Armstrong and Young take wailing solos full of piercing high notes and raw growls, with Bigard providing a cleaner counterpoint. When Armstrong and Middleton duet, they sound like an old married couple singing songs they’ve loved for decades.