SAMUEL CHARTERS

Samuel Charters made a personal quest in the 1950s and 1960s to explore African-American music tradition and to seek out forgotten and undiscovered artists. His field recordings and books represent an important body of work for musicologists, folklorists, and fans of the Blues. He passed away last week at the age of 85. NPR's Fresh Air celebrated Charters with a re-broadcast of his 20-min interview with Terry Gross from 1987, which included great stories about Lightnin' Hopkins and about navigating institutionalized racism during his recording trips. Listen to the program and see the transcript here. New York Times obituary here. Below: Charters' influential first record with Lightinin' Hopkins for Folkways (1959).

LOUIS ARMSTRONG

Spend New Years with one of the most important American artists in history. Fans who only remember Louis Armstrong for later-day appearances and tunes like Hello Dolly only have to scratch the surface to discover Satchmo's colossal impact on Jazz as an art form. Armstrong is not remembered for his political ideas, but one only needs to read David Margolick's article in the New York Times to learn about his political stand in 1957 in support of the kids in Little Rock. Winton Marsalis had this to say about Armstrong in Ken Burns Jazz: "Louis Armstrong invented a new style of playing. Louis Armstrong created the coherent solo. Louis Armstrong fused the sound of the Blues with the American popular song. Louis Armstrong extended the range of the trumpet. Louis Armstrong created the melodic and rhythmic vocabulary that all the big bands wrote music out of." There's a lot to explore in his long career! Image below: Cover design for the beautiful art book showcasing Armstrong's collage art, Satchmo: the Wonderful World and Art of Louis Armstrong.

See clips below for some of my favorite performances: Dinah, Hotter Than That, Russian Lullaby. You can also hear New Year's concerts from 1953, 1954, 1962, and 1967 over at Ricky Riccardi's blog here. BBC broadcast of Armstrong's home-recorded tapes here. Louis Armstrong House Museum here. Enjoy! Learn more about Satchmo with these NPR documentaries: Louis Armstrong: The Man and His Music part 1,  Revisiting Louis Armstrong in the Context of Civil Rights,  Louis Armstrong: The Man and His Music part 2,  Pops: Louis Armstrong in His Own Words, review of Mosaic's Decca Sessions box set, Louis Armstrong: the Singer, Louis Armstrong: the Trumpeter. Suggested reading: Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong, Satchmo: the Genius of Louis Armstrong. Suggested CDs: Hot Fives and Sevens, Satchmo at Symphony Hall, Plays WC Handy, Complete Decca Session 1935-1946, Columbia & RCA Live Recordings with the All-Stars, Satch Plays Fats. 

DOIN' THE BING

Bing Crosby was once called the Mick Jagger of the 1920s. Spy Vibers who only know Der Bingle from his later years and Christmas tunes would be surprised to see him at his youthful prime, belting out hot jazz numbers with the likes of Bix Beiderbecke, Frankie Trumbauer, and Eddie Lang. Bing was really the first super star, reaching the #1 spot as America's entertainer on radio, film, and records. As an innovator, he used early microphone technology and radio to invent a new expressive style of singing and he helped translate jazz idioms, like scat singing, to a wider audience. Bing essentially played himself in public, cultivating a relaxed, casual vibe. Way before the hat and pipe, viewers were introduced to his trademark cool in a series of Mack Sennett shorts in the early 1930s. On Christmas Eve 1962, ABC aired the Bing Crosby Christmas Special for Clairol (his fourth special and the network's first broadcast in color). The show included guests Mary Martin and Andre Previn, and featured this fantastically modern dance devoted to Bing's casual lifestyle, Doin' the Bing. I love the design choices, from the costumes and minimal staging to the use of contemporary furniture. If your season is filled with White Christmas and Holiday Inn and you crave more Bing, I challenge you to master this hilarious (and charming!) dance. Happy Holidays! Suggested Bing releases: Bix n Bing, 16 Most Requested Songs, Some Fine Old Chestnuts, Bing in Dixieland, So Rare, Johnny Mercer Songbook, Irving Berlin Songbook, And Some Jazz Friends, Fancy Meeting You Here, Favorite Hawaiian Songs.