Louis Armstrong's Masterful "Stardust"

There are several reasons why it's hard to appreciate the genius of the early jazz giants. Problem one: In the earlier parts of the 20s the recording technology couldn't handle any bass tones or any drum sounds. On one Louis Armstrong recording, the engineer told the bass player to just sit out and asked the drummer to restrict himself to a wood block and one high-hat cymbal. Practically a recipe for "how to sound unhip." Further, for most of the 20s, the jazz rhythmic sense hadn't really loosened up fully. It was still connected to the more regimented syncopation of ragtime. Compare to how much more freely swinging Billie Holiday's recordings sound just ten years later, in the mid- to late-30s. Incredible difference. Third, the innovations of musical language that thrilled listeners back then have been so thoroughly integrated into the music by now that it's easy to respond with a "what's the big deal" shrug. Finally, performers entered the studio with a grim sense of formality that hindered the music, sort of like those uncomfortable-looking subjects of early photography.

For all these reasons, one should careful in the music one suggests to turn someone on to the power of early jazz. With Louis Armstrong, I recommend skipping the 1920s recordings and starting with something like his 1930s "Stardust." This captures all the freedom and funkiness that Armstrong brought to early jazz, setting the table for how we think "happening" music should sound today. Here he lays down stuff that sounds as perfect and hip now as when it was recorded. "Stardust" is one of the great melodies in the American Songbook. But here, Pops rarely sticks with the melody as is, taking huge liberties with it, but somehow managing to make everything sound even righter than the original. In Pops' take, rhythm and melody are completely fused. He exemplifies the "push-pull dynamic" that abstract painters were talking about then and which defines the very essence of the rock and roll guitar style of Chuck Berry, thus indirectly influencing the Rolling Stones. Phrases come in early and are stretched out over bar lines. Sharp staccato patterns bump right up against legato passages.

Here are some highlights.

From 0:30 - 0:37 Louis drops in the very hip double time syncopated passge that is followed right up with soaring floating tones.

At 1:16, with his vocal entry he flattens the opening melody into a string of a single repeated note. That's pretty nervy.

From 1:50 to 1:53 he he reduces the melody to a declamatory form that basically kicks ass.

And at 2:52 he enters with a long, pure tone that is like a pure distillation of all that has happened.

Granted, the backing horns sound fairly old fashioned. But they are there to kind of mark the beat and offer melodic signposts while Pops goes off doing his thing. It works. I've listened to this 20 times in the last week or so. I have been reading Terry Teachout's superb Armstrong bio, Pops, and was inspired to do some listening. Check it out.