A jazz musician playing spirituals? In a sense that is what Louis Armstrong has been doing all along. Anyone who has ever read a history of jazz knows that there's supposed to be a relationship between jazz and spirituals, jazz and work songs, jazz and the blues. The patterns which the sax and reed sections use in swing band arrangements are drawn from the "call" (the preacher) and "response" (the congregation) patterns used in churches. This album clearly shows Armstrong’s heritage and what an outstanding and versatile musician he was.