tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73236430899044004432012-01-31T04:30:17.830-05:00A celebration of Louis Armstrong's life and music, one song and video at a time. Ohhhhh yeah!Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.comBlogger4441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-65394953859779023962012-01-27T00:00:00.000-05:002012-01-27T00:00:01.230-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His OrchestraRecorded January 27, 1932Track Time 3:04"All of Me" written by Seymour Simons and Gerald Marks"Home" Written by Harry Clarkson, Jeff Clarkson and Peter Van SteedenRecorded in ChicagoLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Zilner Randolph, trumpet; Preston Jackson, trombone; Lester Boone, George James, alto saxophone; Albert Washington, tenor saxophone; Charlie Alexander,

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-65290129123565460572012-01-25T12:00:00.003-05:002012-01-26T20:12:41.077-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His OrchestraRecorded January 25, 1932Written by Harold Arlen and Ted KoehlerRecorded in ChicagoLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Preston Jackson, trombone; Lester Boone, clarinet, alto saxophone; George James, alto saxophone, soprano saxophone; Albert Washington, tenor saxophone; Charlie Alexander, piano; Mike McKendrick, guitar; John Lindsay, bass; Tubby Hall, drumsOriginally

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-73511660069025763862012-01-20T15:22:00.001-05:002012-01-20T15:42:54.468-05:00

Well, my friends, we've reached the end: the final installment of posts devoted to the music discussed in my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, (which by the way, received an Honorable Mention in the Jazz Times Critic's Poll and a second place finish in the Jazz Times Reader's Poll.....thank you readers and critics!). This idea started on a whim while

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-84915283915246540732012-01-13T21:34:00.003-05:002012-01-13T21:48:50.008-05:00

I know, I know, when it comes to jazz and Harlem, the phrase "A Great Day in Harlem" has become as cliche as it comes. But I can't deny it: last Saturday, January 7, WAS a great day in Harlem....or more specifically, the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. For four hours (not a typo), I moderated a panel that consisted of David Ostwald, Dan Morgenstern and George Avakian. Seriously. I'm sorry if my

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-70387618299425833382012-01-08T19:00:00.001-05:002012-01-14T21:28:16.613-05:00

Hello and Happy New Year everybody! Sorry it's been over a week without a post but my year is off to a roaring start as I'm in the middle of giving six book-related lectures at the National Jazz Museum in Harlem this month. The first two are behind me, including a panel I led yesterday afternoon that featured Dan Morgenstern, David Ostwald and George Avakian (don't worry, it was recorded and

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-38785999417226683352011-12-31T00:00:00.001-05:002012-01-14T21:27:18.864-05:00

Well, it's that time again: faced with another New Year's Eve upon us, I must share a complete broadcast of Louis Armstrong from a New Year's Eve of long ago. This is fourth time I've done this in case you're new here. If you want to read my 2008 post about Louis's 1967 Las Vegas New Year's Eve gig (featuring "What a Wonderful World" and a fantastic closing "Sleepy Time"), click here. In 2009

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-67604968955113152522011-12-27T14:14:00.008-05:002012-01-20T14:19:11.837-05:00

With the holidays behind us (and I hope each of you dear readers out there had the best one of your life), it's time to press ahead with the next in my series of posts featuring the audio and video described in each chapter of my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years. When we last left our hero, he was on top of the world as "Hello, Dolly!" was on top of the

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-54779327030700264282011-12-24T00:00:00.000-05:002011-12-24T00:00:05.297-05:00

Well, today is the day before Christmas, so what better way to celebrate than by listening to Louis Armstrong's reading of "The Night Before Christmas." I've shared this in previous years, but I think it's only an appropriate annual tradition. This was Armstrong's final record, made February 26, 1971 in his home in Corona, just a few days before his last extended engagement at the

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-59247098867800326172011-12-21T18:43:00.000-05:002011-12-21T18:44:56.631-05:00

Don't let the "2011" fool you, as this is pretty much the same exact thing I posted for each of the past three years. But I feel like the six Christmas songs Armstrong recorded for Decca in the 1950s are worth celebrating every year at this time so if you don't mind, let's do it one more once. Crank up the speakers, pour some egg nog and get ready to enjoy them all over again.As already

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-86909719708101214652011-12-17T13:51:00.000-05:002011-12-17T13:51:21.835-05:00

It's time to continue plowing ahead with audio from chapters 14 and 15 of my book,What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years. I haven't doubled up chapters yet but I think that's going to be the game plan from here on out as my later chapters are heavy on narrative without as much music discussed as the earlier ones.Having said that, chapter 14 is a thick one, chronicling

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-61657465789406014882011-12-15T11:58:00.001-05:002011-12-15T12:20:30.982-05:00

It's been a wonderful year for Louis Armstrong: new books, new boxed sets, radio documentaries and a lot of beautiful attention paid to our hero 40 years after his death. But it's also been a sad year as two champions of Pops have passed. First was the discographer Jos Willems, who passed away in November. And now it pains me to announce the death of Louis and Lucille Armstrong's neighbor Selma

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-12875553983604440742011-12-10T21:13:00.003-05:002011-12-11T05:54:12.987-05:00

Hello all. As most of you probably know, Louis Armstrong was an avid user of reel-to-reel tape. He made his first tape in December 1950 and continued making them until the last week of his life. Those tapes are the hallmark of the Louis Armstrong House Museum's Archives (where, of course, I'm the Archivist) and they also played a huge role in my book. People ask about them all the time and

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-30710150859872304272011-12-03T00:00:00.000-05:002011-12-03T00:00:02.555-05:00

It's been over a month since I shared audio related to a chapter of my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten about it and vow to complete the job sooner rather than later (except for my usual Christmas posts, I'll probably stick to these "Listening to the Book" posts for the rest of the year).At first, I didn't think

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-27970716153375607442011-11-24T11:14:00.003-05:002011-11-24T11:22:17.452-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His OrchestraRecorded December 19, 1935Track Time 2:37Written by Gus Kahn and Arthur JohnstonRecorded in New York CityLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Leonard Davis, Gus Aiken, Louis Bacon, trumpet; Harry White, Jimmy Archey, trombone; Henry Jones, Charlie Holmes, alto saxophone; Bingie Madison, Greely Walton, tenor saxophone; Luis Russell, piano; Lee Blair, guitar; Pops

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-65114867592735596022011-11-18T23:00:00.001-05:002011-11-18T23:02:48.965-05:00

The last time I wrote a blog with the phrase "In Loving Memory of" in the title, it was after the 2009 death of my friend Gösta Hägglöf. I wish I never had to do it again, but alas, I must, this time to report the passing of another person who was extremely important to me, to this blog and to Louis Armstrong's legacy: the Belgian discographer, Jos Willems.If you have been with me for any

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-27103790098831775412011-11-05T07:07:00.002-04:002011-11-05T07:37:26.470-04:00

Back in the summertime, I wrote a long blog about Universal's beautiful 10-CD boxed set, "Satchmo: America's Musical Ambassador" (by the way, that box is officially SOLD OUT, but we have many copies left at the Louis Armstrong House Museum. Have you purchased your tickets to Corona, Queens yet???). I mentioned that the back half of the box served as a pretty nice soundtrack to my book, but I

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-45265157794099796382011-11-03T07:20:00.000-04:002011-11-03T07:33:11.708-04:00

After the endless "Listening to the Book" posts and the madness of my attempts to over "anatomies" of All Stars concerts (I can now type "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" quicker than it takes to blink an eye), I thought it would be good to change things up a bit with an old-fashioned anniversary post. And what an anniversary: eight songs, almost all classics, recorded 80 years ago this week in

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-90431035740623661272011-10-30T08:00:00.001-04:002011-10-30T08:00:03.035-04:00

Well, here I go again, entertaining myself (and hopefully some of you) with another in-depth look at some typical live All Stars shows during Edmond Hall era and the bulk of the Peanuts Hucko years. This is my favorite All Stars period, as I've declared time and time again, and fortunately, it's a fairly well documented period. Not only was the band at its peak, but Louis's popularity was

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-74192410458173672592011-10-22T10:45:00.006-04:002011-12-30T23:25:38.480-05:00

When I last left off with my "Listening to the Book" series, Louis had just finished telling off Dwight Eisenhower, Orval Faubus and the U. S. government in September 1957. Chapter 12 of my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, picks up in the aftermath of that event, opening with a recording session that took place less than a month after Armstrong made

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-45681681602768979472011-10-16T14:14:00.003-04:002011-10-22T10:44:38.886-04:00

I started this blog back in July 2007 and wrote for pretty much myself for the first month or so. But finally, on August 30 of that year, I received an e-mail from a very important person, Gösta Hägglöf, the Swedish oracle of all things Armstrong-related and a man I had always admired through his tireless work in running Ambassador Records, a non-profit label devoted to some of Louis's least

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-37986930271808652972011-10-10T15:34:00.002-04:002011-10-10T15:58:56.492-04:00

I interrupt my slow but steady process of providing audio links for most of my book's major musical moments to provide another, quicker, faster, and even hipper way to hear of the book's musical high points in one place. That place is Spotify and if you haven't checked out Spotify yet, you're missing out (no, I am not endorsed or paid by the Spotify people). In case you're unaware, Spotify is a

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-23743828710126530722011-10-07T21:11:00.005-04:002011-11-29T12:24:27.456-05:00

Chapter 11 of my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, is a pretty dramatic one, focusing on offstage events such as the bomb that went off during an Armstrong concert in Knoxville, Armstrong's blowup backstage at Newport and of course, his Little Rock comments that shocked the world. Thus, this post won't have the seemingly endless supply of audio links like

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-22566008522243073262011-10-01T16:36:00.001-04:002011-12-27T14:14:18.518-05:00

If you know anything about me or my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, then you probably know that I'm a bit of a fan of the music of Louis Armstrong's last 25 years. But pin me down in a corner and ask me to name just one favorite period and I'd probably have to select the six or seven months covered in chapter 10 of the book, which begin with one high

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-71189215714683788902011-09-25T14:42:00.003-04:002012-01-08T13:59:30.728-05:00

Forgive the delay, good friends, but things have been nuts lately as I just had a weeklong flurry of events relating to my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, including a signing at Rutgers where my musical accompaniment consisted of Randy Sandke and Marty Napoleon! (Stay tuned for pics and more from that one.) In the meantime, has everyone memorized the All

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-67463547982608589232011-09-16T22:14:00.000-04:002011-09-16T22:14:26.612-04:00

In late July, I broke up the monotony of my "Listening to the Book" posts with something I called Anatomy of an All Stars Concert - 1947-1951. It was a massive, dissertation-length collection of set lists that whether you loved, hated or slept through, should have at least gone a ways toward proving that the All Stars did not play the same songs every night and that their repertoire of tunes to

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-10486220125394660992011-09-08T04:30:00.000-04:002011-09-08T08:14:30.020-04:00

Hello all. I'll start right off by saying that today's my birthday, number 31. My 30th year will go down as one of the biggies, with the arrival of my daughter Melody, the publication of my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, traveling around to Italy, New Orleans and elsewhere, continuing my dream job as Archivist of the Louis Armstrong House Museum, etc.

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-78935118665563302282011-09-05T00:00:00.000-04:002011-09-05T00:00:00.154-04:00

Chapter 7 of my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, is the biggie, with a very serious Louis confronting Joe Glaser after Lucille Armstrong was arrested for marijuana possession. Don't know what I'm talking about? Well, it's all in the book and will melt your mind but I won't go into it here. It concerns a letter Louis wrote to Glaser while performing

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-8583868698819632882011-09-01T04:43:00.001-04:002011-09-03T21:41:11.174-04:00

Chapter 6 of my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, lands us squarely in the year 1953 and begins with Marty Napoleon's enthusiastic description of Sy Oliver's arrangement of "Your Cheatin' Hear." I did a full blog on the tune that you can findhere, but if you just want to listen to it for yourself, here's the audio: Of course, the main focus of the

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-65265552477109048162011-08-27T00:00:00.001-04:002011-09-03T21:42:42.360-04:00

Chapter 5 of my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years, is mostly about the various personnel changes that took place in the All Stars during the rebuilding phase after the sudden departure of Jack Teagarden, Earl Hines and Arvell Shaw. With Russ Phillips replacing Teagarden, Joe Sullivan replacing Hines and Dale Jones replacing Shaw, the new edition of the All

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-75668851821514011012011-08-21T00:00:00.002-04:002011-09-01T04:34:14.151-04:00

All right, good friends, after a few weeks of other business, it's time to get back to the soundtrack to my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years. We're continuing onward with some of Louis's big Decca hits from the early 50s. The chapter begins with Louis chastising a disc-jockey for using the word "commercial" to describe his record of "I Laughed at Love."

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-36443766932146838732011-08-13T16:38:00.000-04:002011-08-13T16:38:31.885-04:00

I've been back from New Orleans for a few days but I haven't been able to write anything more about my trip to the Satchmo Summerfest because I immediately got thrown back into the world of a dedicated archivist (gone for 14 hours a day) for the Louis Armstrong House Museum, father of two (Melody is now ten weeks old and more on Ella in a bit) and husband of one (my poor wife Margaret needed

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-36757931028411424272011-08-06T09:05:00.002-04:002011-09-07T14:55:49.140-04:00

Hello all. Sorry I missed a post for Louis's 110th birthday celebration, but I was a little busy doing some celebrating of my own down here at the 11th annual Satchmo Summerfest. As usual, this is heaven on earth: spent Thursday night at the opening reception talking Pops with the likes of Dan Morgenstern, George Avakian, David Ostwald, Bruce Raeburn, Babette Ory, Dr. Jack Stewart, Don Marquis

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-36575351958954786522011-07-31T13:41:00.004-04:002011-07-31T22:09:34.657-04:00

And now for something completely different....I hope you all have been enjoying my "Listening to the Book" posts, offering up many of the songs--famous and rare--I've discussed in my book. I have plenty more in the works--the book is 19 chapters long and I've only gotten through four--but I wanted to take a short break before this place became nothing more than a dumping ground for audio links

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-19835949528370990202011-07-28T00:00:00.002-04:002011-09-08T07:42:37.306-04:00

Time to listen along with chapter 3 of my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years. This chapter, " "King of the Zulus," begins with a description of Louis's appearance on Bing Crosby's radio show in February 1949. Listen to what they do with "Lazy Bones": Then it was time for Louis to be named King of the Zulus, at a ceremony that took place at Booker T.

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-473780938493255192011-07-25T00:00:00.005-04:002011-10-07T21:22:14.324-04:00

Time to listen along with Chapter 2 of my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years. This chapter introduced Earl Hines into the fold. Jazz purists and critics went crazy at seeing Louis and Hines again, reunited from their days as an unbeatable team in the 1920s, but time had marched on and things weren't quite the same this time around, with Hines reluctant to

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-62210708382982292932011-07-23T14:42:00.002-04:002011-07-23T15:04:30.912-04:00

I interrupt my series of posting links to relevant audio showcased in my book to present some exciting news: this Wednesday, July 27, BBC Radio 2 is doing a one-hour special about Louis's private tapes, chock full of audio. The man behind the special, Paul Sexton, wrote about it in today's issue of the London "Telegraph," which you can access by clicking here.I mentioned in my last post that I

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-12347514398195039242011-07-21T04:30:00.007-04:002011-08-20T20:56:52.962-04:00

Welcome back to the blog to listen along to some of the great music featured in chapter one of my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years. The chapter opens up with a description of "Cornet Chop Suey from the 1947 Town Hall Concert. Here 'tis: Here's an entire blog on the history of the song: Cornet Chop Suey Moving backwards to 1945, here's "I Wonder":

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-13209461447622989152011-07-18T00:00:00.001-04:002011-07-21T04:28:48.795-04:00

And so it begins....As promised, over the next few weeks, I'll be contributing biweekly blogs featuring almost nothing but audio for those good people out there who are reading or who have read my book, What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong's Later Years. As I mentioned last week in my preview of the Universal box, people keep asking if there's going to be a tie-in CD/

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-29746112971785241322011-07-17T06:57:00.003-04:002011-07-17T07:10:07.982-04:00

I've been going down to New Orleans for the Satchmo Summerfest every year since 2008. The first time I went down there, I remember being shocked at seeing 97-year-old Lionel Ferbos, alive and still playing. The following year, he was at it again, knocking me out with his version of "You Always Hurt the One You Love." Last year, at 99, Ferbos performed yet again. This time I felt the need to

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-35917287222786862302011-07-14T07:00:00.001-04:002011-07-16T19:35:45.070-04:00

My book has only been out for about three weeks but I can't tell you how many times I've been asked, "Rick, is there going to be a CD tie-in with the book?" I love the idea of a compact single disc to mirror some of the book's choice moments (which had been done by Verve with recent biographies of Dinah Washington and Dizzy Gillespie) but as of now, there are no plans for that.However, I'm a big

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-57351090282473019872011-07-13T07:00:00.001-04:002011-07-13T09:23:06.364-04:00

Four years ago I came home from a day of painting houses, sweating like a pig in the New Jersey summer heat, sat down at my computer and wrote these words:FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2007Introduction to this BlogHello! My name is Ricky Riccardi and you can learn more about me in the (you guessed it) "About Me" section of this blog. I just wanted to take a second and discuss what this blog is all about.

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-36867105185666393862011-07-10T12:52:00.000-04:002011-07-10T12:52:00.917-04:00

Dear friends, I have big things on the blog burner for the upcoming weeks. I've hinted at a massive Armstrong boxed set in the works and I'll have some details about that. Also, more or more people write to me saying that they're digging my book, but wish they could hear the music I discuss in it. This might take a while, but I'm going to start uploading stuff chapter-by-chapter so you can

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-7612992476270402452011-07-06T04:42:00.001-04:002011-07-06T04:44:41.540-04:00

Louis Armstrong left us forty years ago today.I don't know what else to say except to repeat David Ostwald's reply when I e-mailed him last night to tell him that today was 40 years since Louis died."DIED!?" is all he wrote.How true. How can someone be dead if so many are still talking about him, writing about him and listening to his music? Thanks, Louis...you'll truly live forever.

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-30926179088703870472011-07-04T21:00:00.004-04:002011-11-03T07:07:06.933-04:00

Louis Armstrong and His OrchestraRecorded November 4, 1931Track Time 3:39Written by Harry Barris, Ted Koehler and Billy MollRecorded in ChicagoLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Zilner Randolph, trumpet; Preston Jackson, trombone; Lester Boone, alto saxophone; George James, alto saxophone, clarinet; Albert Washington, tenor saxophone; Charlie Alexander, piano; Mike McKendrick, guitar; John Lindsay

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-41805440544705765152011-07-04T10:40:00.002-04:002011-07-04T10:59:06.227-04:00

Today is the Fourth of July and that means a couple of things: fireworks, barbecues, American independence and Louis Armstrong. I know, I know, Louis was really born on August 4, 1901. That's fine...but there's just something about that July 4 date I, and many other Pops nuts, just can't give up. I think the big thing is that it was the date Louis himself celebrated for his entire lifetime.

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-65546602100450487472011-07-01T09:26:00.002-04:002011-07-01T09:44:06.449-04:00

Hello all! I didn't mean there to be ten days of silence after I posted my "Today's the Day" celebration but things have been nuts...in a good way. I have now done 10 radio interviews in less than two weeks, I've been interviewed by the BBC and in the next week, I'll be talking with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Bob Edwards on XM radio and who knows who else, all of which leads to my

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-74826018226522814672011-06-21T07:18:00.003-04:002011-06-21T07:30:44.137-04:00

Well, it's finally here. Four years ago I started this blog, promising to write a book one day about Louis Armstrong's later years and as of this morning, that day has arrived. It's been a helluva ride, as my longtime readers will attest, but I've had a ball. And frankly, I think the real ride is only just beginning!Anyway, I'll have much more about the book in upcoming weeks but I did just

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-79473798878702228182011-06-16T06:58:00.003-04:002011-06-16T07:04:15.974-04:00

Recorded June 16, 1926Track Time 3:04Written by Louis ArmstrongRecorded in ChicagoLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Kid Ory, trombone; Johnny Dodds, clarinet, alto saxophone; Lil Armstrong, piano; Johnny St. Cyr, banjoOriginally released on Okeh 8343Currently available on CD: Both the JSP and Sony Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven boxes have it (I like the JSP better but the Sony has much better

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-74914912519861792472011-06-16T06:32:00.002-04:002011-06-16T06:40:23.999-04:00

Friends, I interrupt my barrage of book-related posts to point your attention towards a noble cause, especially if you're a jazz fan and a Louis Armstrong fan. A few weeks ago, while celebrating Marty Napoleon's 90th birthday, I listed the other surviving All Stars and included Buddy Catlett who sometimes unfairly gets looked over. He was with Louis day in and day out from June 1965 through

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-85075787707842382362011-06-13T15:17:00.000-04:002011-06-13T15:18:05.117-04:00

As the publication of my book gets closer by the second, the first wave of publicity has been trickling in. My longtime readers probably know everything there is to know about me but I've been getting more hits than ever before in recent weeks, I'd like to say hello to any new readers out there and thank them for stopping by. If you stumbled onto here because of my book, there'll be plenty more

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-1006898527613161222011-06-04T16:36:00.004-04:002011-06-04T17:01:18.196-04:00

Before I get started, thanks to my loyal readers who wrote in publicly or privately to wish me and my wife Margaret best wishes on the birth of our second daughter, Melody Patricia Riccardi. After four days in the hospital, we came last night for the first time to juggle the phenomenon known as two children. So far, so good. Margaret's coming along well after her second C-section surgery and

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-79317602245515168702011-05-31T21:20:00.003-04:002011-05-31T21:29:09.766-04:00

Pardon the title of this blog, which isn't an appreciation of Louis Armstrong's ability to take King Oliver's advice to "Play the melody, play the lead and learn." No, it's my way of announcing that as of 5:56 a.m. on May 31, I became a father for the second time, welcoming little Melody Patricia Riccardi into the world! My first daughter is named Ella but my wife and I vetoed any other

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-69337676260964508442011-05-31T00:00:00.003-04:002012-01-08T14:37:10.507-05:00

The surviving members of Louis Armstrong's All Stars have dwindled down to a precious few. There are four left, by my count: Jewel Brown, Buddy Catlett, Joe Muranyi and Marty Napoleon. All four deserved to be celebrated but this is an extra special week as Marty turns 90 on June 2! And don't worry, Marty is a very young 90. Don't believe me? Check out this video:See? Marty's still going

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-86408018100884551802011-05-28T06:00:00.000-04:002011-05-28T06:00:02.779-04:00

Hello friends. Sorry for digging up another old post instead of creating something fresh but things continue to be crazy in a good way. My wife is expecting our second daughter any second now (which included a long false alarm scare at the hospital the other night!) and my book is due out in just a few weeks (though finished copies are in and I might have one later today!). I'm going to have a

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-14213245770214503312011-05-24T21:06:00.002-04:002011-05-24T21:25:00.168-04:00

I knew I could count on my readers out there! A few weeks ago, during my never-ending series of posts on "Muskrat Ramble," I grew fixated on something Louis played during this solo, beginning in 1952 and lasting for a good decade. It was something that obviously sounded like a quote, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I asked for help and received some good guesses but nothing 100% on the

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-57791753542103749322011-05-18T00:00:00.001-04:002011-05-18T11:54:25.305-04:00

Louis Armstrong and His OrchestraRecorded May 18, 1936Recorded in New York CityLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Leonard Davis, Gus Aiken, Louis Bacon, trumpets; Jimmy Archey, Snub Mosley, trombone; Henry Jones, Charlie Holmes, alto saxophones; Bingie Madison, Greely Walton, tenor saxophone; Luis Russell, piano; Lee Blair, guitar; Pops Foster, bass; Paul Barbarin, drumsCurrently available on CD:

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-79045213893843605852011-05-06T21:03:00.005-04:002012-01-08T13:55:48.190-05:00

I come not to bury "Muskrat Ramble" today, but to praise it...okay, I'll bury it, too. Six parts is a long series (though last year's ten parts on "Tiger Rag" will be tough to top) and though I've peppered in other subjects along the way, my look at "Muskrat" has been ongoing since February and it's time to wrap it up (especially with the 75th anniversary of May 18, 1936 of one of Louis's

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-9479232696103308312011-04-28T04:32:00.003-04:002011-10-22T11:21:31.618-04:00

After jazz, my other two great interests in life are comedy and baseball. When I was five years old, the minute I learned how to read, I memorized every World Series winner and loser and soon became a party trick at family functions. I still eat up baseball stats at a maddening pace (and have my beloved Yankees on in the background as I write this). The following year, when I was six, I caught

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-57836773605902320632011-04-24T00:00:00.001-04:002011-12-16T22:05:13.917-05:00

Recorded April 4, 1961Track Time 3:42Written by Duke EllingtonRecorded in New York CityAccompanied by Duke Ellington, piano, Trummy Young, trombone, Barney Bigard, clarinet, Mort Herbert, bass, Danny Barcelona, drumsReleased on the Roulette LP "Recording Together for the First Time"Currently on CD: "Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington: The Complete Sessions"Available on Itunes? Yes (The rehearsal is

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-43807611727321763222011-04-16T21:26:00.003-04:002011-07-13T16:43:20.877-04:00

Hello all and welcome back to the fourth part in my seemingly never-ending series on "Muskrat Ramble" (which I think will end with six parts). When we last left our heroes, they were performing "Muskrat Ramble" almost nightly in 1947 and 1948, gradually tightening it with each passing performance. Louis tried it at some different tempos and improvised many different solos (all with superb

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-67959999200786616182011-04-10T14:53:00.005-04:002011-05-03T07:55:44.967-04:00

Ciao, you cats. I'm back from my 48-hour stay in Italy, where I'm happy to report that love and appreciation for Pops is alive and well. I took part in the Piacenza Jazz Festival's daylong tribute to Louis and Miles Davis, gracious to be asked to join the lineup of Italian heavy-hitters on jazz Stefano Zenni, Marcello Piras and Enrico Merlin. Big thanks to Gianni Azzali for bringing me out

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-83327515189287772322011-03-27T00:18:00.002-04:002011-07-13T10:18:14.484-04:00

Welcome back to my look at Louis Armstrong's history with "Muskrat Ramble." When we last left our hero, he was performing the tune at various all-star small group concerts of the mid-40s, sometimes with shaky results due to sideman unfamiliar with the routine. By this point in his life, Louis disliked simply jamming and preferred more structure in his live performances. When he formed his

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-31528721027695747172011-03-22T00:00:00.002-04:002011-03-23T18:06:12.478-04:00

Hello and welcome back to part 2 of what is going to turn out to be a long, long look at Louis Armstrong's history with "Muskrat Ramble." I guess you could say this is the long-anticipated sequel since part 1 was published about a month ago...and just lingered here for weeks until I played catch-up in every other aspect of my life. But here I am, ready to march forward with what should be a fun

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-6170782676864289472011-03-19T19:07:00.003-04:002011-10-22T10:50:29.374-04:00

Recorded October 14, 1957Track Time 4:37Written by Arthur Johnston and Sam CoslowRecorded in Los AngelesLouis Armstrong, vocal; Oscar Peterson, piano; Herb Ellis, guitar; Ray Brown, bass; Louie Bellson, drums Originally released on VerveCurrently available on CD: Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar PetersonAvailable on Itunes? YesSo they tell me there's a "Super" full moon tonight, 14 percent larger and

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-29299037909574543152011-03-17T08:41:00.001-04:002011-03-17T08:41:13.848-04:00

Recorded November 27, 1926Track Time 2:37Written by Percy VenableRecorded in ChicagoLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Henry "Hy" Clark, trombone; Johnny Dodds, clarinet, alto saxophone; Lil Armstrong, piano; Johnny St. Cyr, banjoOriginally released on Okeh 8447Currently available on CD: Both the JSP and Sony Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven boxes have it (I like the JSP better but the Sony has much

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-3757448135319657692011-02-28T15:55:00.000-05:002011-02-28T15:53:27.639-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His Hot FiveRecorded February 26, 1926Track Time 3:03Written by Kid OryRecorded in ChicagoLouis Armstrong, trumpet; Kid Ory, trombone; Johnny Dodds, clarinet; Lil Armstrong, piano; Johnny St. Cyr, banjoOriginally released on Okeh 8300Currently available on CD: Both the JSP and Sony Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven boxes have it (I like the JSP better but the Sony has much

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-25687020463556195662011-02-25T00:00:00.000-05:002011-02-25T08:25:49.441-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His Hot FiveRecorded February 26, 1926Track Time 3:18Written by Lil Hardin ArmstrongRecorded in ChicagoLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Kid Ory, trombone; Johnny Dodds, clarinet; Lil Armstrong, piano; Johnny St. Cyr, banjoOriginally released on Okeh 8299Currently available on CD: Both the JSP and Sony Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven boxes have it (I like the JSP better but the

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-63637913617233231532011-02-24T00:00:00.000-05:002011-02-24T05:58:02.274-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His Hot FiveRecorded February 26, 1926Track Time 3:03Written by Johnny St. CyrRecorded in ChicagoLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Kid Ory, trombone; Johnny Dodds, clarinet; Lil Armstrong, piano; Johnny St. Cyr, banjoOriginally released on Okeh 8299Currently available on CD: Both the JSP and Sony Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven boxes have it (I like the JSP better but the Sony

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-50537279281993889622011-02-23T00:00:00.002-05:002011-11-27T14:19:21.053-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His Hot FiveRecorded February 26, 1926Track Time 2:58Written by Louis ArmstrongRecorded in ChicagoLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Kid Ory, trombone; Johnny Dodds, clarinet; Lil Armstrong, piano; Johnny St. Cyr, banjoOriginally released on Okeh 8320Currently available on CD: Both the JSP and Sony Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven boxes have it (I like the JSP better but the Sony

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-28532278276594719062011-02-22T00:00:00.000-05:002011-02-22T00:00:04.714-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His Hot FiveRecorded February 26, 1926Track Time 2:57Written by Boyd AtkinsRecorded in ChicagoLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Kid Ory, trombone; Johnny Dodds, clarinet; Lil Armstrong, piano; Johnny St. Cyr, banjoOriginally released on Okeh 8300Currently available on CD: Both the JSP and Sony Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven boxes have it (I like the JSP better but the Sony has

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-22389203971630496872011-02-21T00:00:00.003-05:002011-02-25T21:41:04.960-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His Hot FiveRecorded February 26, 1926Track Time 2:36Written by Spencer WilliamsRecorded in ChicagoLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Kid Ory, trombone; Johnny Dodds, clarinet; Lil Armstrong, piano; Johnny St. Cyr, banjoOriginally released on Okeh 8318Currently available on CD: Both the JSP and Sony Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven boxes have it (I like the JSP better but the

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-50685487690944663292011-02-17T07:38:00.002-05:002011-02-17T07:45:18.746-05:00

Last week, I delivered my "Louis Armstrong and Race" lectures at the Louis Armstrong House Museum. Both shows were standing room only and I think people got the message. I've already received e-mails from friends from around the world asking if there was video or audio to be shared. Well, my good friend Michael Steinman was there filming away for his "Jazz Lives" blog. He posted the whole

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-27513283661980156332011-02-14T08:39:00.001-05:002011-07-13T10:16:21.756-04:00

Recorded April 26 or 27, 1950Track Time 5:08Written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar HammerstienRecorded in New York CityLouis Armstrong, trumpet; Jack Teagarden, trombone; Barney Bigard, clarinet; Earl Hines, piano; Arvell Shaw, bass; Cozy Cole, drumsOriginally released on DeccaCurrently available on CD: On the Hip-O box set, An American IconAvailable on Itunes? YesValentine’s Day is here again and

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-43481156062452136012011-02-10T20:33:00.003-05:002011-12-16T21:59:05.667-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His All StarsRecorded at numerous live concerts from 1947 to 1960Track Time varies between 2:43 and 4:04Written by Louis Armstrong and Velma MiddletonRecorded around the world!Louis Armstrong, trumpet; Velma Middleton, vocal; and all the All Stars!Currently available on CD: Yes, details to followAvailable on Itunes? Ditto50 years ago, Louis Armstrong's dear female vocalist,

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-28354010395401105592011-02-08T20:24:00.002-05:002011-02-08T20:35:34.690-05:00

Hello friends, specifically those in the New York/New Jersey area. Just a note to drop a plug for an event I'll be hosting at the Louis Armstrong House Museum this month in Corona, Queens. In honor of Black History Month, I'll be giving a lecture on the subject of Louis and Race at the Armstrong House. As you can imagine, it's a helluva subject to deal with but I'll be armed with a special

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-18486402452189880722011-01-30T13:43:00.014-05:002011-01-31T07:44:36.685-05:00

Hello all, and especially to you newcomers. In recent weeks, Patrick jarenwattananon of NPR's excellent jazz site, A Blog Supreme, has given me two appreciated shout-outs while Michael Steinman over at Jazz Lives, was kind enough to give my upcoming lectures at the Louis Armstrong House Museum on "Louis and Race" a nice plug (more on those as we get a little closer). On top of that, the good

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-79643444727746709272011-01-23T09:16:00.004-05:002012-01-20T14:51:50.857-05:00

Louis “Country & Western” ArmstrongRecorded August 5, 1970Track Time 4:27Written by Glenn Sutton and Billy SherrillRecorded in New York )Louis Armstrong, vocal; Jack Eubanks, lead guitar; Stu Basore, steel guitar; Billie Grammer, rhythm guitar; Larry Butler, piano; Henry Strzelecki, bass; Willie Ackerman, drumsOriginally released on Avco Embassy AVE-33022Currently available on CD: Apparently, it

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-22182597257847460612011-01-17T13:22:00.007-05:002011-01-19T04:41:44.024-05:00

Today, legendary drummer Big Sid Catlett would have been 101-years-old. It's a tragedy that Sid only made it to 41, but oh, the music he created in that time (my pal Michael Steinman recently had a post with an 18-year-old Sid swinging on a Punch Miller record from 1928, Sid's creative shadings already much in place. His partnership with Louis was one of the greatest in all of jazz and if I had

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-8224398180156865922011-01-08T15:40:00.008-05:002011-01-09T16:29:06.837-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His OrchestraRecorded March 2, 1932Track Time 3:38Written by Fred Ahlert and Roy TurkRecorded in Chicago Louis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Zilner Randolph, trumpet; Preston Jackson, trombone; Lester BOone, alto saxophone; George James, alto saxophone; Albert Washington, tenor saxohpone; Charlie Alexander, piano; MIke McKendrick, guitar; John Lindsay, bass; Tubby Hall,

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-2494285203422616142010-12-31T12:36:00.004-05:002011-12-30T22:57:53.274-05:00

Well, it's that time again: faced with another New Year's Eve upon us, I must share a complete broadcast of Louis Armstrong from a New Year's Eve of long ago. This is third time I've done this in case you're new here. If you want to read my 2008 post about Louis's 1967 Las Vegas New Year's Eve gig (featuring "What a Wonderful World" and a fantastic closing "Sleepy Time"), clickhere. And last

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-50981563780772958472010-12-24T13:35:00.005-05:002011-12-23T22:13:33.836-05:00

Well, today is the day before Christmas, so what better way to celebrate than by listening to Louis Armstrong's reading of "The Night Before Christmas." I shared this last year, but I think it's only an appropriate annual tradition. This was Armstrong's final record, made February 26, 1971 in his home in Corona, just a few days before his last extended engagement at the Waldorf-Astoria, an

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-65207723538009040842010-12-21T04:39:00.003-05:002011-12-21T18:44:22.358-05:00

Don't let the "2010" fool you, as this is pretty much the same exact thing I posted for each of the past three years. But I feel like the six Christmas songs Armstrong recorded for Decca in the 1950s are worth celebrating every year at this time so if you don't mind, let's do it one more once. Crank up the speakers, pour some egg nog and get ready to enjoy them all over again.As already

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-62483944095259802462010-12-17T07:09:00.004-05:002010-12-24T13:49:11.976-05:00

Okay friends, I promised an announcement and here 'tis: the Louis Armstrong House Museum's online catalog is up and running! And here's the link:Louis Armstrong House Museum Online CatalogWhat does this me to you, dear, devoted, disciple of Pops? Well, let me go backwards and quickly take you through a short history lesson. Our hero, Louis Armstrong, was a packrat. The man saved everything:

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-37298647305618730502010-12-14T20:48:00.002-05:002010-12-14T20:58:53.858-05:00

"Fear not!" dear reader Phil Ralph wrote me last night, "A search party has been formed to find you! It has just now set off looking for you, 22:40pm GMT (British time), because we (your fans) assume that, although you will have written the latest addition to your splendid blog, you are trapped somewhere in the deepest snows of New England and cannot post it online for our edification and

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-8620661632953347122010-11-28T19:49:00.006-05:002011-07-14T15:31:13.359-04:00

Recorded December 13, 1956Track Time 3:27Written by Eubie Blake and Andy RazafRecorded in New York CityOriginally released on Decca DL 4331Louis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Trummy Young, trombone; Edmond Hall, clarinet; George Dorsey, alto saxophone, flute; Hilton Jefferson, alto saxophone; Lucky Thompson, tenor saxophone; Dave McRae, baritone saxophone; Everett Barksdale, guitar; Billy Kyle,

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-50464606489621509952010-11-24T07:19:00.004-05:002010-11-24T07:49:43.882-05:00

Recorded May 7, 1937Track Time 3:06Written by Eubie Blake and Andy RazafRecorded in ChicagoLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Shelton Hemphill, Henry “Red” Allen, Louis Bacon, trumpet; Jimmy Archey, George Washington, J.C. Higginbotham, trombone; Pete Clarke, Charlie Holmes, alto saxophone; Bingie Madison, Albert Nicholas, tenor saxophone; Luis Russell, piano; Lee Blair, guitar; Pops Foster, bass;

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-52513162899061551302010-11-21T20:31:00.004-05:002010-11-21T20:37:56.273-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His Sebastian New Cotton Club OrchestraRecorded October 16, 1930Track Time 3:13Written by Eubie Blake and Andy RazafRecorded in Los Angeles, CA Louis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; George Orendorff, Harold Scott trumpet; Luther Craven, trombone; Les Hite, alto saxophone, conductor; Marvin Johnson, alto saxophone; Charlie Jones, clarinet, tenor saxophone; Henry Prince, Harvey

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-23427601804198326612010-11-17T06:48:00.005-05:002011-07-13T16:39:10.976-04:00

Hello all. Once again, there's just enough time for a brand new blog so I'm reaching back into the archives to pull out one from my earlier days (you know, before I had readers). Don't worry, this won't last forever; I have started one on "Memories of You" that will be an old-fashioned, in-depth piece that should be ready possibly this weekend. And in December, I'll have some very exciting

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-834017499506855012010-11-07T09:04:00.002-05:002010-11-07T09:08:39.353-05:00

Last week, my blog on "She's the Daughter of a Planter From Havana" seemed to be well received by my loyal readers. Because I haven't had time to whip something up new and fresh, I've decided to repost one of the first blogs I ever wrote on that tune's session mate, "Cuban Pete." Here's how it went down back in 2007:Recorded July 7, 1937Track Time 3:09Written by Jose Norman (Joseph Norman)

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-15658995549534331372010-10-30T19:13:00.019-04:002011-07-13T16:41:09.922-04:00

Louis Armstrong and His OrchestraRecorded November 21, 1935Track Time 2:30Written by Louis Armstrong and Zilner RandolphRecorded in New York CityLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Leonard Davis, Gus Aiken, Louis Bacon, trumpet; Harry White, Jimmy Archey, trombone; Henry James, Charlie Holmes, alto saxophone; Bingie Madison, Greely Walton, tenor saxophone; Luis Russell, piano; Lee Blair, guitar;

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-91288893237047861822010-10-26T20:49:00.000-04:002010-10-26T20:49:41.973-04:00

Recorded July 7, 1937Track Time 3:19Written by Saul Chaplin and Sammy CahnRecorded in New York CityLouis Armstrong And His Orcestra: Louis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal, Shelton Hemphill, Henry "Red" Allen, Louis Bacon, trumpets; George Matthews, George Washington, J.C. Higginbotham, trombones; Pete Clarke, alto saxophone' Charlie Holmes, alto saxophone, clarinet; Albert Nicholas, Bingie Madison,

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-85388030287648496732010-10-20T14:32:00.003-04:002012-01-08T08:37:07.889-05:00

Louis Armstrong and His OrchestraRecorded November 1, 1967Track Time 3:25Written by Ervin Drake, Irvin Grham, Jimmy Shirl and Al StillmanRecorded in New York, NYLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Tyree Glenn, trombone; Joe Muranyi, clarinet; Marty Napoleon, piano; Art Ryerson, banjo; Wally Richardson, guitar; Everett Barksdale, electric bass; Buddy Catlett, bass; Grady Tate, drums; with unknown

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-78799087054354167362010-10-17T13:21:00.003-04:002010-10-17T14:04:41.122-04:00

Louis Armstrong and His OrchestraRecorded April 21, 1953Track Time 2:42Written by Raul Ferrão and Jimmy KennedyRecorded in New York, NYLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Trummy Young, trombone; Barney Bigard, clarinet; Milt Yaner, Dick Jacobs, alto saxophone; Sam Taylor, tenor saxophone; Everett Barksdale, guitar; Joe Bushkin, piano; Arvell Shaw, bass; Cozy Cole, drumsOriginally released on Decca

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-304329824701824762010-10-06T20:08:00.007-04:002011-07-14T15:32:27.448-04:00

Louis Armstrong With Sy Oliver's OrchestraRecorded January 30, 1957Track Time 3:23Written by Lew Pollack and Erno RapeeRecorded in New York CityLouis Armstrong, trumpet;Geoge Dorsey, Phil Urso (alto saxophone, flute); Lucky Thompson; tenor saxophone; Dave McRae, baritone saxophone; Billy Kyle, piano; George Barnes, guitar;Sid Block, bass; Rudy Taylor , drums; Unknown, harp; Unknown strings,

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-84514278564759606752010-09-24T06:59:00.003-04:002010-09-24T07:28:45.644-04:00

Sorry for invoking a lame college essay with the lame title of this posting, but I thought I should offer up a quick explanation of my recent disappearance. I mean, it's September 24 and I've only put up two blogs this month....the shame, the horror! Honestly, I feel pretty bad about putting the blog on the back burner but it comes with good reason: I have spent the last week or so in a state

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-87326763004208179112010-09-11T21:42:00.002-04:002011-07-13T10:17:13.815-04:00

Louis Armstrong and His All StarsRecorded April 26 or 27, 1950Track Time 6:42"Oh Didn't He Ramble" Written by Will Handy ("Flee As a Bird" is Public Domain)Recorded in New York CityLouis Armstrong, trumpet; Jack Teagarden, trombone; Barney Bigard, clarinet; Earl Hines, piano; Arvell Shaw, bass; Cozy Cole, drumsOriginally released on DeccaCurrently available on CD: On "New Orleans Nights"Available

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-74366275709250695502010-09-01T16:28:00.001-04:002011-07-13T10:11:54.207-04:00

Louis Armstrong With Louis Jordan and His Tympany FiveRecorded August 23, 1950Recorded in New York, NYLouis Armstrong, trumpet, vocal; Louis Jordan, alto saxophone, vocal; Aaron Izenhall, trumpet; Josh Jackson, tenor saxophone; Bill Doggett, piano; Bill Jennings, guitar; Bob Bushnell, bass; Joe Morris, drumsOriginally released on DeccaCurrently available on CD: Both songs are on a variety of

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-67125395184066018232010-08-27T21:04:00.000-04:002010-08-27T21:05:07.249-04:00

When we last left our hero, he had been performing "I'm Confessin' (That I Love You)" with a series of different small groups in the mid-40s, groups that eventually led to the formation of the All Stars in 1947. "Confessin'" seems to have been absent from the group's repertoire for its first year of existence but there are multiple surviving versions from late 1948 and 1949 broadcasts. They're

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-80606505867428973622010-08-23T20:46:00.006-04:002011-07-13T09:46:10.547-04:00

When we last left off with the saga of Louis Armstrong and "Confessin'," ol' Pops had been killing the tune with his big band for years, still coming up with new ideas on the last broadcast version I shared from October 1944. Though he continued to perform it with his big band in the next couple of years, our attention today will focus on some very special all-star small group version from the

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323643089904400443.post-75339631366005734852010-08-22T18:48:00.002-04:002010-08-22T19:09:58.100-04:00

Dear readers, I interrupt my series on "Confessin'" to bring you a story from home about someone I confess I love every morning, noon and night: my 16-month-old daughter Ella. As you can imagine, any child of mine is going to become well-versed about all things Satchmo pretty much from the womb. (If you were with me in the weeks after she was born, you might remember a photo I posted of baby

Ricky Riccardihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18000638350101809298noreply@blogger.com0