Louis Armstrong: Struttin' With Some Barbecue

If jazz had a Mount Rushmore, everybody knows who would have pride of place. Washington was Father of His County, and Louis Armstrong was Pops of Jazz. Consider as evidence this track made at the end of a two-year span in which Pops defined by example the solo as jazz's principal means of expression. Yet, as luminous as his solo is here, Pops shines brightest while leading the opening and closing ensembles. He is spectacularly authoritative. Just as the U.S. presidency was designed with George Washington in mind, jazz was designed with Louis Armstrong in mind.