Paul Kahn

Produced and annotated by Paul Kahn.
24 page booklet including credits, notes, and rare photos included with the CD package

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING : REVIEW CLIPS

Luis Russell - At The Swing Cats Ball, Newly Discovered Recordings from The Closet, Volume 1, 1938-1940 (Dot Time Records Legends 2023)

“These are amazing examples of what great musicians can do in moments when history isn’t looking.”
- Will Friedwald, The New York Sun

“Russell’s high caliber soloists are on show…preceding Armstrong’s tour-de-force that effortlessly melds faultless phrasing, limitless warmth, endless invention and unremitting swing.” 
- Len Weinreich, London Jazz News

“A remarkable discovery…The biggest surprise of the CD is the final set of short solo stride piano showpieces, imbued with technical subtlety and vintage charm…These unreleased recordings…prove his (Luis Russell’s) unflaunted exceptional expertise in the stride idiom.” 
- Hugh Rainey, Jazz Journal

“If you need to fill a prescription for smiles, here is just what the doctor ordered to get you grinning, with likely welcome physical side effects of foot-tapping and jazzy jumps for joy…a bouncy bounty of high energy entertainment…a worthy excavation.” 
- Rob Lester, Talkin’ Broadway, Sound Advice Reviews

“...astonishing new disc...the highlight of this set are the series of solos “At The Swing Cats Ball,” with its ensemble chorus of boogie-woogie, followed by an exuberant solo by Higginbotham and then by Red Allen.” 
- Michael Ullman, The Arts Fuse

“The long working relationship between Louis Armstrong and Luis Russell is well documented in a 24-page booklet…and for these notes alone I strongly encourage you to acquire the physical album (which does include a download)” 
- Joe Bebco, Syncopated Times Editor’s Pick
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Four Stars Recommended 

Eighty years later we can bask in the power, joy, and humor that comes through these recordings, as these legendary orchestras and musicians were vital in the development of jazz.” 
- Jim Hynes, Making A Scene, April 12, 2023, Issue 413

“Armstrongs own playing is at his latter-day best, his solos building impressively, crisp and assured, the ensemble swinging hard…Them There Eyes is a revelation, Louis finishing in exhilarating fashion on a dramatic top note.” 
- Peter Vacher, Jazzwise, May 2023 issue
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Four Stars Recommended

“Of particular interest are the tracks that put Russell under the spotlight as a solo stride pianist. The booklet is full of insights into the Russell band…”
- The Jazz Rag (UK)

”The second revelation…Russell was a talented stride piano player who could really play…the only solo piano recordings of Luis Russell that have ever been released…”
- Scott Yanow, Syncopated Times

“This is a delightful production for many reasons, aesthetic as well as historical…the music is accessible Swing…it rewrites conventional jazz history ... Aesthetically: a cross-section of hot and sweet African-American dance music balanced between vibrant improvisations and superb swing arrangements…an invaluable swing Time-machine. Thus. A hot band, Louis Armstrong, hearing Luis Russell anew, Red Allen, J.C. Higginbotham in their prime: a delicious collection of surprising rarities.”  
- JAZZ LIVES, Michael Steinman