Andre M. | Mt. Pleasant, SC United States | 09/18/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This was one of the very last recordings that the great Satch ever made, and one of the best. It's also one of his most message-oriented works since his collaboration with Brubeck "The Real Ambassadors." He begins "What a Wonderful World" with a short but effective sermon on the strife that was then afflicting the country (this was recorded several days after the Kent State killings). We also have moving renditions of Ellington's "Mood Indigo" and "Everybody's Talking" (an ill-concieved version of John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" is the only drawback here-maybe Satch should've done "Hey Jude" or "Let It Be."). But the autobiographical "A Boy From New Orleans" sounds like a joyful last will and testament. And last but not least, try to keep a dry eye durign the great one's POWERFUL rendition of "We Shall Overcome." When you consider how Satch rose aboue poverty and racism to deservedly become one of the best-loved entertainers of all time, he certainly did overcome. Enjoy. (NOTE-this CD sometimes appears under the title "What a Wonderful World" which causes some confusion)."