Louis Armstrong

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP (Black Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Verve Online Store (Blue Vinyl)

This previously unreleased performance from the late, great Louis Armstrong was recorded live on the BBC on July 2, 1968 while the legendary musician and singer was riding high thanks to the chart-topping success in Great Britain of "What a Wonderful World." The 13-song set naturally includes that evergreen anthem penned by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss, along with W.C. Handy's "Ole Miss" - the very first composition he's known to have played in public - as well as his landmark reading of "Mack the Knife" (an inspiration for Bobby Darin's equally definitive interpretation), his Grammy-winning, chart-topping take on Jerry Herman's "Hello, Dolly!" (which he would reprise opposite Barbra Streisand in the 1969 film adaptation of the musical), Herman's follow-up "Mame," and Terry Gilkyson's Jungle Book showstopper "The Bare Necessities" from Armstrong's then-recent album Disney Songs the Satchmo Way. Available on CD, LP, and digitally.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.