Louis Armstrong made his first studio records in Richmond, Indiana 101 years ago, recording acoustically because microphones hadn’t yet been invented. Microphones eventually allowed Armstrong to begin recording electrically to disc and, later, to tape in the mono and “hi-fi” eras. Beginning in the late 1950s, Armstrong began making records in revolutionary stereophonic sound. He had seen and conquered every trend in recording technology between 1923 and his death in 1971-and he continues to conquer them into the 21st century, over 50 years since he passed away. Today, with the advent of streaming and the resurgence of popularity in LPs, there is more music available to the public to listen to than at any previous time in history. Yet, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, people from around the world still choose to listen to Louis Armstrong, much more so than any other artist born at the turn of the 20th century. The question remains: Why? This new collection helps to provide answers.