The seventh title in the History label's 15-CD box set Louis Armstrong and the fourth in the Past Perfect label's ten-CD box set Portrait (both imprints are part of the German firm the International Music Company),
That's My Home covers a period of almost 11 months in
Louis Armstrong's recording career, 1932-1933, which was a transitional period. The first four tracks, recorded in March 1932, are his final recordings for OKeh/Columbia in Chicago, fronting a big band led by
Zilner Randolph. There was then a break of nine months, much of which
Armstrong spent in England. When he returned to recording in December 1932, he was with RCA-Victor, backed by Chick Webb's Orchestra. The final batch of tracks come full circle, as he returned to Chicago and was backed by another band organized by Randolph. This is not one of
Armstrong's more impressive phases as a recording artist, in part because of the inconsistencies of his accompanists, but also because he is sometimes revisiting old triumphs in re-recordings. Nevertheless, the album features the hits "Love, You Funny Thing," "That's My Home," and "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues," and even when
Armstrong is not at his best he remains entertaining and capable of some remarkable trumpet playing. 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 and RCA Victor in the U.S.; nevertheless, the two box sets are readily available at a modest price domestically through mail order. The RCA material can be found in better fidelity and with annotations on the four-CD box set The Complete RCA-Victor Recordings; the OKeh/Columbia material is less readily available elsewhere.