When this album "Louis & the Good Book" was released in 1958, Louis Armstrong had already lived a thousand lives and could boast an impressive track record.

This native of New Orleans from the early last century started playing music very young (in a reformatory!) with the cornet before switching to the trumpet, and his many mentors continually encouraged him to improve, so much so that by the age of 25 he was already leading his first band: the Hot Five!

He took the opportunity to invent the concept of the "star" solo musician, which is still the norm in the world of jazz today, and to broaden his swing prince palette by accidentally creating scat with the song "Heebie Jeebies."

His raspy and warm voice became his new instrument in the 1930s, whether in his compositions or on screen, where he took on roles, notably alongside Bing Crosby. His appearances in films boosted his popularity with the general public and crossed the borders of America, as he also achieved enormous success during his tours abroad, especially in Europe before and after the war!

By the late 1950s, Satchmo (his nickname) had nothing left to prove, and despite now being challenged by several generations of talented jazz musicians (Dizzie Gillespie, Miles Davis, Lee Morgan...), he remained an iconic figure.

So at the age of 58, he decided to release "The Good Book," entirely dedicated to the culture of Negro spiritual songs.

This wasn't the first time the musician had attempted this, but it was the first time he devoted an entire album to it.

Accompanied by his usual band, the "All Stars," composed of James 'Trummy' Young on trombone, Mort Herbert on bass, Barrett Deems on drums, Edmond Hall on clarinet, Billy Kyle on piano, Everett Barksdale on guitar, Nickie Tagg on organ, the ensemble was arranged by Sy Oliver and his ten-member choir. The recording took place in New York in three days in a thoroughly mastered exercise!

Filled with spirituality, Louis revisited these great standards of the religious repertoire in his own way, with the influence of the New Orleans big bands. We find some famous themes like "Down by the riverside," "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child," or "Go Down Moses," the music of which was later covered in France by Claude Nougaro in his tribute to the musician, aptly named "Armstrong," a few years later. At times, Louis's trumpet takes the lead, as in his version of "Sweet Lord, sweet chariot," while the swing is never far away, as heard in "This Train."

In any case, you don't need to be religious to appreciate this genre, as this part of African American culture has fully influenced many artists and inspired numerous musical aesthetics for over a century.

"Louis and the Good Book" remains one of his most famous albums, which, although described as an "easy" exercise by some, shows that he, who had nothing left to prove, demonstrated once again that the separation between sacred and secular music among African Americans was no thicker than a cigarette paper!

Hallelujah!