Product Description

One of the few complete concert performances of Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, this live recording features the legendary jazz trumpeter and singer on an Australian tour in 1964, when he had already become an international superstar and a living symbol of 20th-century American culture. As a founding father of jazz he revolutionized the world of music and became one of the most influential artists and entertainers ever. The impressive structure of his melodic ideas and the radiant sonorities and flawless technique of his trumpet playing all marked him out as jazz's first soloist of genius. Louis Armstrong set new standards for swing feeling, improvisation, scat singing and command of his instrument, but also for stage presence and entertainment, providing a model for performers in virtually every field of jazz and on every conceivable instrument. With his All Stars sextet, which he formed in the wake of the Second World War, he acted as an ambassador for jazz, restlessly travelling the world. The present documentary was shot at a time when he succeeded in creating a song that was a minor miracle: Hello Dolly even displaced the Beatles from the number-one position in the charts in 1964, a fact of which Armstrong was unaware as he was touring at the time. Armstrong's associates - among them drummer Danny Barcelona and singer Jewel Brown - were always more than mere extras. Armstrong seldom gave himself a moment's respite, but he had a gift for allowing each of his musicians to display his or her talents to their full advantage in pieces that enabled him to catch his breath and to make his programme more varied. This rare treasure - including such hits as Blueberry Hill, Mack the Knife and songs from the film "High Society" - captures the great man in all his glory as both a jazz pioneer and a peerless entertainer.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35356 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-04-29
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Live, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 56 minutes

In The Groove Magazine, Steve Ramm, May 2008
This is a nice addition to any Armstrong collection and acts as a time capsule for this 1960s period of his career.

JamBands.com, June, 2008, Mark Burnell
A fine performance it is, admirably showcasing both sides of Armstrong's talents (courtesy of a wonderful "Blueberry Hill" and a goose bump-inducing "Basin Street Blues") while also allowing room for his supporting players to shine (Arvell Shaw's bass solo in "How High the Moon" is especially sweet).

The picture quality is as good as you can hope for from a 40 year old tape, and the sound is crisp and clear. This is a valuable document of Armstrong's later career and a must have.

Baton Rouge Advocate, John Wirt, August 1, 2008
This splendid late-career concert in Australia by New Orleans-born jazz master Louis Armstrong was shot with commendable care...Live in Australia 1964is a great document of the gravel-toned singer and trumpeter and his mid-'60s era group, which included long-time drummer Danny Barcelona, show-stopping bassist Arvell Shaw and singer Jewel Brown.

Customer Reviews

give them all a spotlight !!!
Louis Armstrong: Live In Australia 1964 is a marvelous DVD of an entire concert filmed for Australian television. Although rock and roll and "The British Invasion" were well underway in our country, Louis Armstrong was able to score huge successes with his band as we can easily see here for ourselves. Just as other reviewers note, Armstrong was always the consummate professional and he let all the members of the troupe have their time in the spotlight with solos and great singing. This is a must have video for Louis Armstrong fans; and fans of classic jazz will not be disappointed.

One reviewer indicates that this was all done in 1963 and not 1964. It's good that they pointed that out to us. Nevertheless, it makes little difference, as the quality of this concert is flawless. Louis Armstrong sings and plays with his usual charisma and passion; and Jewel Brown sings beautifully with great sensitivity on numbers like "Did You Hear About Jerry" with its Lain "cha cha" beat and "I Left My Heart In San Francisco," another stunning pop vocal song. Jewel Brown sings with true feeling and it shows as she gracefully entertains the audience as the musicians play. Wonderful!

Another very special feature of this concert is the songs that dominated the charts back in the day. We get "Mack The Knife;" "Perdido" and Armstrong sings a great rendition of "Blueberry Hill" much to the crowd's delight. Trummy Young sings a little bit and he also plays trombone and percussion--he was certainly versatile.

The concert end with a rousing interpretation of "When The Saints Go Marching In;" the entertainers do this with all their might and Jewel Brown sings and claps her hands high up in the air as she gracefully walks around the musicians on stage. The overall effect is both strong and very upbeat; and this makes a solid ending for this concert. The concert may only be 56 minutes along; but it's quite a show.

The DVD doesn't have special features unless you consider a few trailers for other DVDs a feature. The quality of the print is really rather good although there is a moment here and there when there is very brief "scratching" on the print. I assume that they cleaned it up as best they could and that this is what we have to accept; but overall it's still a pretty clean print.

Louis Armstrong and his band really made huge contributions to the arts; and we are all better off for their sharing their talents with us. I highly recommend this for jazz fans and especially for fans of classic jazz.

"Now You Has Jazz - down under"
How great that this TV-show has been released, finally! Absolutely sensational. It's great to see and hear old Satch surrounded by a fine band made up of long time serving members like Trummy Young, Arvell Shaw and Billy Kyle as well as newcomers Joe Darensbourg (whom Armstrong wanted to have in his band for many years), Danny Barcelona (joining in 1958 to stay until the end) and singer Jewel Brown. What is less sensational is the fact that the liner notes are full of mistakes. First of all this show was taped in Sidney, March 1963!, not 1964. The All Stars embarked on this tour on March 9th 1963 and they appeared in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Korea and Japan. Louis returned to Australia one more time after that late in 1964 when both Trummy and Joe Darensbourg were no longer with the band having been replaced by "Big Chief" Moore and Eddie Shu. This particular band seen in this DVD recorded "Hello Dolly" on December 3rd 1963, months after this tour. "Dolly" appeared on the Billboard charts eight weeks later, to remain there for a total of 22 weeks and knocking the Beatles ("Do You Want To Know A Secret") off the No. 1 spot in May 1964. Arvell Shaw did not spend 25 years with the band. He joined Armstrongs big band in 1946 and stayed with him when the All Stars where formed in 1947. He left for short periods in 1951 and 1953 and stayed on until mid 1956. He rejoined prior to this tour, left again in April 1965 and played Armstrongs last concerts in 1970/1971. It is mentioned that Trummy Young retired in 1964. This is absolute nonsense! Trummy reluctantly left Armstrong in early January 1964 (having joined in September 1952) since his wife gave him an ultimatum. He then played locally in Honolulu at the Sheraton Waikiki and other big hotels yet returning to the national and international jazz scene until his death in 1984 - but he did not retire. Louis Armstrong, his musicians and girl singers through all these years are so important, their musical output is immortal and they worked so hard...Billy Kyle even died on the road in 1966...their story has to be told right, always.

Proving quality is timeless
"Louis Armstrong All Stars: Live in Australia 1964"

Not content to basically define Jazz since its inception, Louis toured the world as its ambassador for four decades. This DVD gives a great glimpse into that fun crusade.

Louis is as personable an MC as he is maestro of his instrument. And canny enough to let his friends bathe in the klieg lights. Holding a 1964 Aussie studio audience in the palm of his handkerchief, he lets each one shine in turn. Trummy Young belts puckish scat between trombone while Joe Darenbourg's stolid pokerface is as funny as his clarinet solos are deft. Billy Kyle textures his keys with Classical quotes, Arvell Shaw slaps out an amazing grandstand on stand-up bass, and filipino Danny Barcelona kicks it all into gear with style and taste on drums. Jewel Brown sways in for two numbers on the end that are barnstormers, a wonderful hinge between Mahalia's rapture and Aretha's swagger. But it's Louis' show and everyone there is enjoying it, from the crowd to the band to the viewer. A fun night with a great man.