Portrait Of Louis Armstrong – 2017

Jazz At Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra

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In 1970 when Satch was still alive, Duke Ellington composed and recorded “Portrait Of Louis Armstrong,” a piece that featured trumpeter Cootie Williams.

Ellington did not attempt to copy Louis Armstrong’s style in his writing but focused on the good-time feeling that Armstrong consistently conveyed to listeners.

Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz At Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra were the first to record the composition after Ellington with recordings in 1991 and 1998.

In 2017 Marsalis brought it back, taking the first solo (with some well-placed screaming high notes that make drummer Jeff Hamilton smile) before trumpeters Marcus Printup and Kenny Rampton trade off in exciting fashion before an enthusiastic audience.

-Scott Yanow

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