My apologies to the makers of the documentary Soundtrack to a Coup D'etat - where several of these artists coincidentally appear - but I needed a title for this post. I promise to watch your almost certainly depressing film but not until our coup - because "coup" is what it f*cking is - is stopped.
I'm listening to a lot of classical music and jazz. I typically do this in the winter anyway but it seems especially apt this year. Best to have one's ears stuck in the past than one's head in the sand.
And since these days things like DEI are out of fashion this post will be based strictly on merit.
The Complete Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong (2007)
Perennially cited as one of the greatest jazz albums ever, Ella and Louis has been on my radar for some time. I never quite got it, though, because Fitzgerald's compilation 75th Birthday Celebration didn't quite do it for me. Plus, while I knew and liked Armstrong the cornet player, getting familiar with Armstrong the singer was not high on my bucket list.
Last year, though, I fell in love with Fitzgerald's Cole Porter Songbook, so I figured maybe it was time to give Armstrong the singer a chance. I could have settled for the single disc Ella and Louis and be perfectly happy, but this three-CD set - containing all of their recordings as a duo - was very reasonably priced, so I dove into the deep end and didn't regret it for a second.
I got this compilation album in 2024 but, due to some technical issues, I didn't get to hear it all until 2025. It's comprised of Ella and Louis, Ella and Louis Again, Porgy and Bess, and a couple of live tracks. So that's three-plus albums spread over three discs.
Disc one or album one would have topped my best-of-2024 list. Disc two and possibly three would have made my top ten. The added bonus of disc three is that I'm finally getting to know Porgy and Bess. Miles Davis was no help in that regard, but after this maybe I'll be able to hear his version better.
As usual, I opted for overkill so you don't have to. The original albums are all available, as are several single disc best-ofs, giving a smaller, more focused dose of this music if that's more your speed. No matter. Any of them would be wonderful. I can't see how you can go wrong here.
Song after beautiful, clever, funny, tuneful song, sung by two great singers. Pre-Beatles, of course, but I've made my peace with that.
A
Louis Armstrong: Louis in London (2024)
Speaking of Armstrong, last year Verve released this recording of a 1968 concert - one of his last - by Armstrong and his band.
It's half greatest hits and half songs of the day, so one could mistake it for nostalgia bait, but that would be a mistake. The performances are wonderful. The band plays with great enthusiasm even on the older material.
Speaking as someone who only became acquainted with "What a Wonderful World" from Twin Peaks, I'm far from an expert. But I'm now beginning to understand how someone with such a limited vocal range can be considered one of the greatest singers of the 20th Century. It's called expressiveness.
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Duke Ellington/Charlie Mingus/Max Roach: Money Jungle (1962)
I'd had my eye on this one for years mostly because I loved the title and the cover. Given such rigorous selection criteria, once I finally got it, I prepared myself for a major letdown.
No need.
It's just three guys - one older legend and two youngish turks - Ellington on piano, Mingus on bass, Roach on drums, banging out some tunes. Given the set up there's not much in the way of soloing. This record's more about texture. And while I suspect Ellington isn't a technical virtuoso, he seems to ooze musicality, and that holds it all together.
As the cover shows, Roach leans over Ellington, focused on understanding the compositions from score to piano, intent on finding rhythmic opportunities at every turn. Mingus keeps his distance (Mars is a ways away, you know) working by ear, and often playing what you'd least expect.
As they say, sometimes less is more. This is a great record, and a perfect introduction to jazz.
A
So Where Does This Leave Us?:
This music is more than fifty years old, and it all provides a great start to 2025. I count three - and possibly five - geniuses here. What are the chances of that?? When you think about it, quite good. (Note to fellow White Folks: Just pull yourselves up by those old bootstraps, etc.)
Next time I'll try to get back to pop, looking at some 2024 albums I'm only getting around to now.
Alas, the world is on fire. I'd like to help put it out but I've been a bit under the weather lately. Being agnostic and yet oddly superstitious, I put the former on hold while I tried to make a deal with God before the election. That didn't work out - Harris lost AND I got sick.
For the sake of ending our current nightmare, I'm willing to give it another try, but I fear God may be agnostic towards me, too. Fair enough.
I'll have to remind him I do, in fact, exist, and - more importantly - he's the one with the lightning bolts.
