This limited edition vinyl LP is a virtually identical issue to the first part of the CD Live In Europe (DT 8015), which I reviewed in the February issue, comprising excerpts from the concerts played by the Armstrong All Stars at the 1948 Nice Jazz Festival. The band was clearly on good form, and items like Bigard's feature ‘Rose Room’ which turns into a long duo between his clarinet and Catlett's drums, were clearly show stoppers with the French crowd.

The sound quality of the CD was not great and it seems the mastering for this 500-copy LP release is better, though still rather boxy and distant, favouring Shaw's bass over the piano and drums. There's a barnstorming ‘Panama’, a version of ‘Mahogany Hall Stomp’ with Louis' well-worn solo routine, and the ‘Rockin’ Chair' vocal routine with Teagarden from their commercial recording the previous year with the prototype All Stars and Bobby Hackett. And speaking of the previous year, this still doesn't match up in quality to the Symphony Hall concert, well recorded in Boston by Decca and duplicating half this repertoire.