When the Beatles came to America in 1964 and took over the number one spot on the charts for 14 straight weeks, it must have seemed like their reign would last forever. Surely someone would topple them at some point--but who would it be? Few, if any, would have placed their bets on a 62-year-old legendary trumpeter and vocalist from New Orleans but that’s just what happened when “Hello, Dolly!” improbably became the number one record in the country on May 9, 1964.
Armstrong sounds positively energized by the popularity of his hit record on this previously unissued set from the Circus Room of the Nugget Casino in Sparks, Nevada in June 1964, the audience particularly in bedlam on the multiple-encore version of “Hello, Dolly!” There’s always been a lament in the jazz world that people who discovered Armstrong when “Dolly” became a hit had no idea that Armstrong was such a staggering musical genius, but as this set makes clear, if you went to see him perform during this period, you got a pretty complete picture of the wide array of Armstrong’s talents: the warmth of “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South” and “Blueberry Hill,” the fiery instrumentals of “Indiana” and “Tiger Rag,” the swinging hit show tunes of “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” and “Hello, Dolly!” each one establishing to all the kiddies in the audience that this fun-loving old entertainer was also a ferociously talented musician.
1. When It's Sleepy Time Down South 03:00
2. Back Home In Indiana 04:08
3. I Got A Lot Of Livin' To Do 02:44
4. Tiger Rag 01:17
5. Hello Dolly 07:05
6. When I Grow To Old To Dream 03:45
7. Blue Berry Hill 03:30
8. How High The Moon 08:03
9. Lover Come Back 02:33
10. Have You Heard About Jerry 04:48
11. When The Saints Go Marching In 03:24
