Oh, yep! But I also have a ton of it on CDs. Probably about 300 CDs of pre-war jazz.
Absolutely. The 20s and 30s were the best!
I liked the descriptive phrase “simple in the best sense of the word”. That’s often one of the most difficult things to accomplish. Armstrong certainly lived and spoke that way and in his latter years played that way. One of his best quotes (made in an Edward R. Murrow interview), “There’s only two kinds of music, good and bad.” has a profundity that applies whether you’re listening to Bach or Lyle Lovett.
I have recordings he made with Ella Fitzgerald of some great standards. What a combination! The man who could “speak” with his horn and the woman who could “play” her voice.