Louis Armstrong
44 records in the collection· mostly on Parlophone, Brunswick, Odeon
Louis Armstrong was the towering early figure of jazz, a New Orleans-born trumpeter and singer whose 1920s Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings transformed the role of the soloist in popular music. Performances such as "West End Blues", "Potato Head Blues" and "Heebie Jeebies" helped define jazz improvisation and scat singing, making his early 78s fundamental documents of the music’s development.
This introduction was written by AI from what is known of the artist. Ask us if you want to know more about a particular record.
Records by Louis Armstrong
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- AA kiss to build a dream on
- BYour cheatin' heart
Louis Armstrong sings 'A Kiss to Build a Dream On' and 'Your Cheatin' Heart' on the UK Brunswick label, a 1950s reissue of his American recordings.AI summary
Brunswick 05088 Jazz
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- AA theme from threepenny opera
- BBack o Town Blues
Louis Armstrong with 'A Theme from The Threepenny Opera', better known as 'Mack the Knife', and 'Back o' Town Blues' on Philips, a late British 78.AI summary
Philips PB574 Jazz
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- AAin't misbehavin
- B(TDorsey)Tiger rag
Louis Armstrong on Parlophone, performing 'Ain't Misbehavin'' and 'Tiger Rag' (arranged by Tommy Dorsey). This is one of the greatest jazz recordings ever made — Armstrong's definitive version of 'Ain't Misbehavin'' from the Hot Chocolates show, recorded in 1929. UK pressings of Armstrong's earliest Parlophone sides are scarce and highly sought.AI summary
Parlophone R462 Jazz
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- AAin't misbehavin'
- B(T Dorsey)Tiger Rag
Louis Armstrong, jazz's greatest innovator, recorded these two classics — "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Tiger Rag" — and this Parlophone pressing is a UK issue of a legendary session. Armstrong recordings are among the most collected of all jazz 78s.AI summary
Parlophone R462 Jazz
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- ABetween the devil and the deep blue sea
- BKicki the gong around
Louis Armstrong on Parlophone R1170, performing "Between the devil and the deep blue sea" and "Kicki the gong around".AI summary
Parlophone R1170 Jazz
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- ABig butter and egg man
- BSunset cafe stomp
Louis Armstrong's 'Big Butter and Egg Man' and 'Sunset Cafe Stomp', recorded for Odeon with catalogue number 279.788 in the 1920s, are among Armstrong's most important early jazz recordings.AI summary
Odeon 279.788 Jazz
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- ABlue turning grey over you
- BThat rhythm man
Louis Armstrong's hot jazz ensemble recorded for Parlophone in the late 1920s; these are early Armstrong sides from his canonical period, a cornerstone of jazz history.AI summary
Parlophone R1494 Jazz
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- ABody and soul
- BYou can depend on me
Louis Armstrong, the jazz pioneer, recorded 'Body and Soul' and 'You Can Depend on Me' for Parlophone, a UK pressing of Armstrong's classic 1930s sides.AI summary
Parlophone R1355 Jazz
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- ABye and bye
- BPretty little missy
Louis Armstrong's Hot Five or similar ensemble recorded these two sides for Brunswick in the late 1920s; Bye and Bye and Pretty Little Missy are signature Armstrong pieces from the height of his early popularity.AI summary
Brunswick 05460 Jazz
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- ACome back sweet papa
- BGeorgia grind
Louis Armstrong, the revolutionary jazz trumpeter, recorded the early jazz classics 'Come Back Sweet Papa' and 'Georgia Grind' for Odeon, the German label, possibly an early British pressing.AI summary
Odeon 279.790 Jazz
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- ACornet Chop Suey(26)
- BMuskrat Ramble
Louis Armstrong's 'Cornet Chop Suey' and 'Muskrat Ramble' on Columbia DB2624; Armstrong was the towering figure of jazz, and these are among his most historically important recordings from the Hot Five era.AI summary
Columbia DB2624 Jazz
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- ACornet Chop Suey(26)
- BMuskrat Ramble
Louis Armstrong, recorded for Columbia DB2624, performing 'Cornet Chop Suey (take 26)' and 'Muskrat Ramble'. These are canonical early jazz recordings. Armstrong's Columbia DB-series sides are among the most important jazz records ever made, and even British pressings are avidly collected.AI summary
Columbia DB2624 Jazz
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- ADrub That Sack (25)
- BJazz Me Blues (Pierce)
Louis Armstrong was the most influential jazz musician of the 20th century. This Brunswick recording from 1930 of two early jazz standards documents his most celebrated period.AI summary
Brunswick 02502 Jazz
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- ADrub That Sack (25)
- BJazz Me Blues (Pierce)
Louis Armstrong was the most influential jazz musician of the twentieth century, and this Brunswick electrical recording captures him at the height of his creative powers in the late 1920s. Both pieces are canonical Armstrong recordings and are extensively collected.AI summary
Brunswick 02502 Jazz
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- AGoing to shout all over God's Heaven
- BNobody knows de Trouble I've seen
Louis Armstrong, the legendary jazz trumpeter and singer, recorded two spirituals, 'Going to Shout All Over God's Heaven' and 'Nobody Knows de Trouble I've Seen', for Decca.AI summary
Decca F6912 Jazz
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- AGut Bucket Blues
- BYes! I'm in the barrel
Louis Armstrong's 1925 recording "Gut Bucket Blues" / "Yes! I'm in the Barrel" was originally issued on Okeh in the USA and is here reissued by Columbia in Britain. Armstrong was already a major jazz figure by this time, and these sides are classics of early hot jazz.AI summary
Columbia DB2978 Jazz
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- AHeebie jeebies
- BPotato head blues
Louis Armstrong's 'Heebie Jeebies' and 'Potato Head Blues' are among the most important early jazz recordings ever made, recorded in 1926. This Columbia 35000-series pressing is a key early Armstrong recording. UK copies of Armstrong's earliest sides are difficult to find and highly sought by jazz collectors worldwide.AI summary
Columbia 35660 Jazz
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- AHeebie Jeebies(26)
- BTwelfth Street Rag(27)
Louis Armstrong on a dubplate pressing, performing "Heebie Jeebies" and "Twelfth Street Rag" — the reference numbers (26, 27) suggest a transcription or test pressing. Dubplates are acetate lacquer originals, not commercial pressings, and extremely fragile.AI summary
dub Jazz
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- AHigh Society
- BI've got the World on a String
Louis Armstrong recorded 'High Society' and 'I've Got the World on a String' for His Master's Voice B6345 in the mid-to-late 1930s.AI summary
His Master's Voice B6345 Jazz
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- AI get Ideas
- BKiss to build a Dream on
Louis Armstrong, the most influential jazz musician of the 20th century, recorded 'I get Ideas' and 'Kiss to build a Dream on' for Decca 60.683, a UK pressing from the early 1950s. Armstrong's later Decca recordings are less sought after than his 1920s–30s Hot Five and Seven sides, but any Armstrong remains a major collecting area.AI summary
Decca 60.683 Jazz
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- AI love Jazz
- BMardi Gras March
Louis Armstrong recording 'I love Jazz' and 'Mardi Gras March' on Brunswick. Armstrong is among the most iconic and collected jazz musicians of all time, and this is a British pressing.AI summary
Brunswick 05772 Jazz
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- AIrish black bottom
- BYou made me love you
Louis Armstrong, the greatest jazz trumpeter and vocalist of the twentieth century, recorded 'Irish Black Bottom' and 'You Made Me Love You' for the Odeon label. This is an early Armstrong recording from his prolific early period in the mid-1920s.AI summary
Odeon 279.787 Jazz
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- Ajack of diamonds blues
- BSpecial delivery blues
Louis Armstrong performing early blues recordings on Jazz Society Records, an American reissue label of the late 1940s or 1950s. These tracks were originally recorded decades earlier, and this pressing is a secondary release, not the original recording.AI summary
JazzSociety 586 Jazz
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- AJodie Man
- BI wonder
Louis Armstrong's 'Jodie Man' and 'I Wonder' on Brunswick 03595, from the early 1930s. Armstrong was already a towering figure in jazz by this point, and these sides represent his prolific recording output of the era.AI summary
Brunswick 03595 Jazz
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- AKing of the Zulus
- BLonesome blues
Louis Armstrong on Odeon 279.827, recording "King of the Zulus" and "Lonesome blues"; Odeon was a major Continental label and UK copies of early Armstrong material remain uncommon.AI summary
Odeon 279.827 Jazz
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- AKnockin a Jug
- B(Russell)High Tension
Louis Armstrong recorded 'Knockin' a Jug' and 'High Tension' for Parlophone, a major British label. 'Knockin' a Jug' is one of Armstrong's most famous early recordings, originally made in 1925 and featuring Joe Oliver on cornet and pianist Earl Hines.AI summary
Parlophone R1064 Jazz
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- ALawd you made the Night too long
- BI got Rhythm
Louis Armstrong, the jazz pioneer, recorded these two songs for Parlophone UK; 'I Got Rhythm' is his famous arrangement of the Gershwin standard, and 'Lawd You Made the Night Too Long' is a jazz vocal.AI summary
Parlophone R1207 Jazz
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- ALawd you made the night too long
- BI got rhythmn
Louis Armstrong, the jazz giant and trumpeter whose innovations defined jazz itself, appears here on Parlophone with two of his finest recordings from the early 1930s — a UK pressing of music that shaped the era.AI summary
Parlophone R1207 Jazz
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- AListen to the Mocking Bird
- BChloe
Louis Armstrong was the most influential jazz musician of the 20th century. This Brunswick recording of two standards from 1931 is part of his most celebrated period as a recording artist.AI summary
Brunswick 05069 Jazz
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- AMahogany Hall stomp
- BWhre the blues were born
Louis Armstrong, the revolutionary jazz trumpet pioneer, recorded two early New Orleans-style blues on His Master's Voice, including the seminal "Mahogany Hall Stomp" from the late 1920s.AI summary
His Master's Voice B9588 Jazz
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- AMelancholy blues
- BKeyhole blues
Louis Armstrong's early hot jazz sides 'Melancholy Blues' and 'Keyhole Blues' on Odeon, a major international label. These are Armstrong's foundational recordings from the mid-1920s, among the most important jazz recordings of the period.AI summary
Odeon 279.829 Jazz
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- AMighty river
- BSnow ball
Louis Armstrong, the most important figure in jazz history, recorded these two titles for His Master's Voice, likely in the early 1930s.AI summary
His Master's Voice B6401 Jazz
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- ANew Orleans Function - Part 1
- BNew Orleans Function - Part 2
Louis Armstrong, the foundational jazz master, on Brunswick recording 'New Orleans Function' — a two-part item that may represent a rare Armstrong session or alternate take. Armstrong's 1920s-30s recordings are extensively collected and command serious money.AI summary
Brunswick 82582 Jazz
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- AShadrack
- BJonah and the Whale
Louis Armstrong's 'Shadrack' and 'Jonah and the Whale' on Decca f6835, spiritual-themed vocal performances from the 1930s-40s. Armstrong's earliest Decca sides are sought after by collectors of early hot jazz and vocal blues.AI summary
Decca f6835 Jazz
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- AShine
- BIf I could be with you one hour
Louis Armstrong performing two classic jazz standards on Parlophone R1100: 'Shine' and 'If I Could Be With You One Hour'. These are reissues of earlier Armstrong recordings, Parlophone being a major British outlet for his work.AI summary
Parlophone R1100 Jazz
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- AShine
- BIf I could be with you one hour
Louis Armstrong recorded these two classic jazz standards for Parlophone's R series. 'Shine' was a favourite Armstrong showstopper; Parlophone R1100 is an early catalogue number suggesting an acoustic or very early electrical pressing, making UK copies of this particular issue scarce.AI summary
Parlophone R1100 Jazz
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- ASkid dat de dat
- BJazz lips
Louis Armstrong, the revolutionary jazz trumpeter and vocalist, recorded 'Skid dat de dat' and 'Jazz lips' for Odeon; this is an early Armstrong electrical recording from the late 1920s.AI summary
Odeon 279.828 Jazz
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- ASo little time
- BLove walked in
Louis Armstrong's 'So Little Time' and 'Love Walked In', recorded for Decca, represent his later work from the 1940s. UK Decca pressings of Armstrong's records are relatively accessible.AI summary
Decca F6716 Jazz
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- AStatic Strut (26)
- BStomp Off Let's Go
Brunswick 03594 Jazz
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- AStruttin with some Barbecue (27)
- BOnce in a While
Columbia 37535 Jazz
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- AThat's my desire
- BTakes two to tango
Louis Armstrong, the legendary jazz trumpeter and vocalist, performing "That's My Desire" and "Takes Two to Tango" on Brunswick Records, from his prolific recording period in the 1940s-50s.AI summary
Brunswick 04996 Jazz
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- AThe Faithful Hussar
- BThe Memphis Blues
Louis Armstrong's 1956 recording of "The Faithful Hussar" (an English-language version of the German folk song "Der treue Husar") paired with "The Memphis Blues", issued in Britain on Philips.AI summary
Philips 604 Jazz
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- AThe Memphis Blues
- BThe Faithful Hussar
Louis Armstrong with The Memphis Blues and The Faithful Hussar on Philips PB604.AI summary
Philips PB604 Jazz
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- AWest end blues
- BFireworks
Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues", recorded in 1928 with his Hot Five, is one of the most influential recordings in jazz history, Armstrong's opening unaccompanied cadenza often cited as a turning point in the music.AI summary
Okeh 41078 Jazz