Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy Birthday, Pops!*

Louis Armstrong, “Basin Street Blues” (three takes)

#1 (live, 1959, Germany [Stuttgart])

Vodpod videos no longer available.

***

#2 (live, 1953, New Orleans)

Vodpod videos no longer available.

***

#3 (recording, 1928, Chicago)

Vodpod videos no longer available.

**********

lagniappe

more

Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five, “West End Blues,” 1928, Chicago

http://youtu.be/NmmFKu4FEbc

*****

radio

The federal government, in its wisdom, gives you the day off so you can listen to Louis Armstrong.

—Phil Schaap, 7/2/11, Traditions in Swing, WKCR-FM
(broadcasting from Columbia University), which today is all Pops, all day 

*****

reading table

Summer afternoon — summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.

—Henry James

*Louis Armstrong gave July 4th as his birthday, something that was determined, after his death, not to be true—at least not literally.