Monday Music: When the Saints Go Marching In (Louis Armstrong)

 Here's a word from Satchmo on All Saints Day

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Monday Music: Some Jazz Classics from the Big Band Era

I happened upon a couple of marvelous clips featuring some jazz greats, including Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Lionel Hampton, and the Golden Gate Quartet.

The clips are from "A Song Is Born" (1948). The blurb from the movie states: "A think-tank professor (Danny Kaye) studying jazz falls for a gangster's girlfriend (Virginia Mayo) on the run." To me, this was a great find. It captures some of the top musicians of the day in their own element and at the top of their game.

In the clip below, so many greats come together: Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Benny
Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, The Golden Gate Quartet, (and Gene Krupa on the drums).

Monday Music: What a Wonderful World

After looking at many different versions of  "Auld Lang Syne" I decided the best way to end the year would be with Louis Armstrong's version of "What a Wonderful World." Armstrong made his mark as a trumpeter/band leader in dixieland jazz, yet his gravelly joyful voice had its own special appeal as we can hear in this song that topped the charts in 1968 - that was a year we really needed a word of optimism.