Ruud Breuls & Simon Rigter Quintet - Wild Man Blues (Plays Louis Armstrong) (2018) [Hi-Res]

Acknowledging your heroes is common in the jazz world. In our new DXD live in the studio series we have asked a select group of European top musicians to recreate one of their favorite albums in their own image. Ruud Breuls chose Louis Armstrong’s Greatest hits.

The reason being; "No Louis, No Me" like Dizzy Gillespie used to say. Louis Armstrong was the true father of modern jazz. His influence on the music is still present. Jazz musicians of all generations still hold him in the highest esteem.

Back in the day, there supposedly was a conflict going on between the new bebop generation and the older generation...
The only problem was that it was not the musicians themself but the music critics and the music fans who were fighting it. Musicians has always collaborated across styles and genres as much then as now. Armstrong recorded with Ellington. Ellington recorded with Coltrane and as a more recent example; Eric Clapton with Wynton Marsalis. Just to name a few. Musicians respect anyone who CAN PLAY. The style they play in is just a matter of preferences.

Ruud Breuls, Simon Rigter, Karel Boehlee, Jos Machtel and Marcel Serierse can play. No doubt. They belong to the absolute top of European jazz. They have played with everybody who is somebody in the world of jazz. But what really makes this album special is the love and dedication they bring to Armstrong's music.

Listening to the 8 compositions presented here one realise that genre is completely irrelevant.