Louis Armstrong - Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man 1923-1934 (1994/2019)

This very attractive four-CD box set has definitive liner notes from Dan Morgenstern, and draws its 81 selections from Louis Armstrong's prime period. Why then does it not receive the highest rating? Armstrong's immortal Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings, along with his early big band sides, had already been reissued complete, and in chronological order on seven Columbia CDs and his less interesting performances as an accompanist to various blues singers (some of which are on this set) have also been reissued in similar fashion. Therefore, this box is of no real interest to veteran collectors and, although a good introduction to beginners just starting to explore Satch's classic music, they too will eventually be moved to duplicate many of these recordings by getting the more complete series.