Satch Plays Fats

Armstrong’s follow-up to 1954’s Plays W.C. Handy is every bit as strong as its predecessor. This time out, he tackles the songs of pianist Fats Waller (“Honeysuckle Rose,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “(What Did I Do To Be So) Black And Blue”). His band, the All Stars, play a combination of New Orleans jazz and fat-bottomed blues, and his gravelly vocals — and the relatively low voice of his female foil, Velma Middleton — are perfect for Waller’s witty, perceptive lyrics. Armstrong’s trumpet playing, of course, remains astonishing decades later; the raw power and melodic invention he delivered every time he stepped to the microphone are unmatched.