Although billed as a tribute to
Louis Armstrong, this 1996 recording by the great cornetist
Ruby Braff is not all it seems to be. Several of the swing standards (such as "I Never Knew," "Little One" which
Braff sings" and "Royal Garden Blues") do not have much to do with
Armstrong; there are no attempts to pay direct homage to any of his recordings, and the arrangements (by
Braff and trombonist
Dan Barrett) look more toward
Count Basie and
Lester Young than to Satch. In addition, there is no explanation of the "Being With You" subtitle, nor any song with that name. The lineup of musicians is impressive: cornetist
Jon-Erik Kellso,
Barrett,
Scott Robinson on baritone and clarinet, veteran tenorman
Jerry Jerome, guitarist
Bucky Pizzarelli, pianist
Johnny Varro, bassist
Bob Haggart and drummer
Jim Gwin; the sidemen get almost as much solo space as the leader.
Braff plays well, and the overall results are pleasing but not quite up to the level of the cornetist's more significant dates. ~ Scott Yanow