Louis Armstrong / Satchmo Plays King Oliver 180g

Two selections, one record

This version of Satchmo Plays King Oliver contains two performances: “St. James Infirmary” and “I Ain’t Got Nobody”. The 12-inch record runs at 45 RPM, with one track on each side. Both selections come from Louis Armstrong’s 1959 sessions for the album of the same name. This is a separate two-track release; the complete twelve-selection programme is available on the distinct 33⅓-RPM LP. Here the focus falls on two individual interpretations featuring Armstrong as both trumpeter and singer.

The recordings were made at Radio Recorders in Hollywood in late September and early October 1959. Armstrong’s All Stars included Trummy Young on trombone, Peanuts Hucko on clarinet, Billy Kyle on piano, Mort Herbert on bass and Danny Barcelona on drums. Sidney Frey produced the sessions for Audio Fidelity. The ensemble brings older material into its working world of 1959. Although the album title honours Armstrong’s mentor King Oliver, each of the two songs selected for this record also has a history within the broader American repertoire.

Returning to “St. James Infirmary”

Armstrong had already recorded “St. James Infirmary” in 1928. His 1959 performance comes more than three decades later, with different musicians and from a different stage of his career. The song belongs to a longer tradition involving variations in titles and writing credits. This release uses the name Joe Primrose, the pseudonym of publisher Irving Mills. Beyond the attribution, Armstrong’s long association with the song is particularly meaningful: he is returning to material that had entered his recording history at an early point.

Young and Hucko add trombone and clarinet voices around the trumpet, with Kyle and the rhythm section completing the instrumental setting. Paying attention to those relationships offers a fuller perspective than concentrating only on the name of the leader. The recording belongs to a band practice in which melody, singing and instrumental responses interact. The first side of this 45-RPM release presents that particular performance as a self-contained selection, giving listeners a clear point of focus within the larger body of recordings made during the sessions.

The session preserved on film

“I Ain’t Got Nobody” occupies the second side. It was another song with a long place in Armstrong’s repertoire, and its recording is connected with an unusual historical document. Frey arranged for 16-millimetre film to be shot during the sessions. Material later made available to the Louis Armstrong House Museum includes two complete takes of this song. It provides a rare view of Armstrong at work in a recording studio, showing repetition, communication and the practical interaction between musicians. The film is part of the session’s history, not an item included with this vinyl release.

On the complete album, the two selections were the first and third tracks of side A. The 45-RPM record places them on opposite sides as an independent pairing. That makes it a distinct option for listeners seeking these particular performances or already familiar with the full album. Their origin remains clear: recordings by the 1959 All Stars in Hollywood, rather than early performances with King Oliver’s band. The release also should not be mistaken for an additional complete album from the same sessions.

The Analogue Productions 12-inch edition

The catalogue number is AAPJ 5930-45. Analogue Productions presents one 12-inch record at 45 RPM with two tracks, mastered by Bernie Grundman. The publisher specifies original analogue tapes as the source and Quality Record Pressings for plating and pressing. The pairing has an earlier history at Classic Records, which the product description also acknowledges. A later pressing date therefore should not automatically be interpreted as the date of a newly made lacquer cut.

The current publisher listing specifies 180-gram vinyl, while earlier examples of the edition are documented at 200 grams. The catalogue number alone consequently does not guarantee the weight of a particular copy. The defining feature is the programme: “St. James Infirmary” on side A and “I Ain’t Got Nobody” on side B. Listeners seeking all twelve album tracks need the separate AAPJ 5930 at 33⅓ RPM. This release deliberately concentrates on the two selected performances, keeping its contents, format and relationship to the original album clearly identifiable.

You order from Michael 45 in Germany. We arrange the US import and dispatch from Hilden.

Musicians

Participants and documented credit status. Track references correspond to the tracklist.

Only two tracks, one per side. Both feature the listed All Stars.