Live At The 1958 Monterey Jazz Festival

Louis has become such a larger-than-life figure that it’s easy to forget what a superb musician/showman he was. This will remind you. The signature growly voice is there; ignore the unique sound and focus on the emotion he can convey and his horn will give you chills. The band is suitably wonderful and every track shines. My only complaint is that the sound quality isn’t always the best, in some tracks the solos sound like they were playing in Panama so watch the levels. But play it all anyway. Great notes too. Watch for applause & banter at end of tracks, many introducing the next track - you may want to fade out…

1. Dizzy introduces Satchmo :28.
2. Sweet slow ode to the South muted band w/his voice gliding.
3. Swinging, upbeat Dixieland jam.
4. Slow, nostalgic. The band plays softly while Satch remembers…
5. Hot, hot jam. Slammin’ fast, brassy, stylish.
6. Great spoken intro, midtempo, fun. Great solos, band introduced.
7. Relaxed calypso, kitschy but good. Applause at 52 then a story…
8. Mid/uptempo w/lots of brass. False end at 1:38 then more…
9. Bop classic that lets the band go. False end.
10. Sweet, romantic chestnut featuring clarinet. So beautiful.
11. Upbeat and bright gets faster w/lots of verve. They’re having fun.
12. Gentle ballad w/long bass solos (low levels) very sweet.
13. Mack the Knife goes New Orleans. Mid/up & stylin’
14. Mid/up w/great drum solos. Swinging & brash.
15. Upbeat & lively, brash trombone, solid trumpet. Yow!
16. Spoken intro, fem singer, mid/up swing w/style
17. Fem singer spoken intro, warm ballad w/humor & flair
18. The ultimate Satch classic. Crank it up. Band introduced again.