Leroy Jones - Props For Pops (1996)

Leroy Jones's 1996 album Props For Pops is a heartfelt and swinging tribute to the ultimate "Pops" of jazz, Louis Armstrong. Recorded over two days in New Orleans, the album showcases Jones's masterful trumpet playing—described as a blend of Armstrong's power and the virtuosity of bebop—across a set of Armstrong classics like "West End Blues," "Ain't Misbehavin'," and "What a Wonderful World". It also features the title track and the original composition "You Must Not Be Hearin' Straight," proving Jones is not just a guardian of tradition but a vibrant voice of New Orleans jazz in his own right.