The third title in the German History label's 15-CD box set Louis Armstrong, A Monday Date picks up the complete recordings of
Louis Armstrong as a leader during a December 9, 1927, session with the Hot Five and follows his recorded output for just under a year, including the last five tracks made by the original lineup of the Hot Five (
Armstrong, his wife Lillian Hardin Armstrong,
Kid Ory,
Johnny Dodds, and
Johnny St. Cyr), followed by a new Hot Five lineup that premiered on June 27, 1928, and consisted of
Armstrong (trumpet and vocals),
Fred Robinson (trombone),
Jimmy Strong (clarinet),
Earl Hines (piano and vocals), Mancy Cara (banjo and vocals), and
Zutty Singleton (drums). With a couple of personnel changes (
Don Redman for
Strong, Dave Willborn for Cara), by December 1928 this unit evolved into Louis Armstrong and His Savoy Ballroom Five. The album is full of classic tracks such as the hits "Hotter Than That," "West End Blues," and "A Monday Date," but all the material is impressive, and these recordings are treasured by jazz fans, arguably forming the basis by which jazz was defined for decades to come. What sounds like considerable sound processing has resulted in a hiss- and crackle-free sound that misses the highs as a result. Although this material is in the public domain in Europe, it is claimed by Sony Music in the U.S.; nevertheless, the box set is readily available at a modest price domestically through mail order. Columbia/Legacy's 2000 four-CD box set The Complete Hot Five and Seven Recordings contains these recordings in better fidelity and with far superior annotations, and so is recommended over this barebones collection, which cuts off arbitrarily after 20 tracks with the remarkable
Armstrong-
Hines duet "Weather Bird." But this one is also far less expensive.