Behind his blistering trumpet solos, revolutionary vocal improvising and exuberant stage persona, how did Louis Armstrong see himself? What was it like to be the first pop virtuoso of the recorded era ...

Louie, LEW-iss, Satchmo, Pops – call him what you will, Louis Armstrong transformed American music with his jazz trumpet solos and signature, raspy vocals, bringing a New Orleans sound to the world.

At first glance, the two discs that make up “Rudy Vallee’s Fleischmann’s Yeast Show & Louis’ Home-Recorded Tapes” may seem like two batches of material thrown together for no apparent reason, other ...