| Swedish cornetist Bent Persson has carved out a unique
niche for himself. His sound and style are remarkably close to Louis
Armstrong's of the 1925-28 period. Although he is quite capable of
recreating any Satch solo, Persson usually is creative within the boundary
of the style, sounding as if Armstrong of that time were alive and playing
today. Since the late 1960's, Persson has played and recorded with many
trad jazz groups including Maggies Blue Five, the Weatherbird Jazzband, and his own Bent's Blue Rhythm Band.
During the 1975-82 period he recorded four Lps of
material that found him recreating the legendary "50 Hot Choruses"
(actually 52 solos and 119 breaks) that were recorded by Armstrong for
some long lost cylinders in 1927 and fortunately transcribed at the time
for sheet music. Persson performs the solos and breaks as part of
full-length performances by European trad all-stars, giving one an
opportunity to hear what Louis
Armstrong would have sounded like playing a variety of songs that he
actually never recorded (including "Spanish Shawl," "Milenberg Joys,"
"Maple Leaf Rag" and "Grandpa's Spells"). The four Lps of material were
reissued (along with additional versions) as three CDs by the Swedish Kenneth
label in the 1990's. In addition, Bent Persson has appeared with a
wide variety of groups that have been documented by Stomp Off. Although
not well-known in the U.S., Persson is actually one of the top classic
jazz musicians of the 1970's, 80's and 90's. -- Scott Yanow, All Music
Guide
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