I'm not familiar with this particular compilation but there are
PLENTY of Louis Armstrong comps out there; there's no reason you should
have to pay $50 just to add some Satchmo to your collection.
Armstrong had a long and varied career but his earlier works were
the most groundbreaking and influential. Look for his recordings
with King Oliver or Fletcher Henderson, as well as the Hot Five
and Hot Seven sessions. Classic tunes include "Struttin' With
Some Barbeque," "Cornet Chop Suey," "Potato Head Blues," "Dipper
Mouth Blues," "St. Louis Blues," ...hmm, I guess just about anything
with "Blues" in the title. ;-)
In his later years, Armstrong was better known as a personality
than a jazz musician, and his trumpet-playing took a back seat to
his singing and mugging for the audience. Still, there are some
wonderful vocal numbers from this period, like "What a Wonderful
World" and "Mack the Knife." It's pretty hard to find a *bad*
Louis Armstrong record, so you really don't need to shell out
$50 for a "good" one.
Hope this helps.
-- Mark Turner mturner@netcom.com