Despite the title of the album and several of the selections, listeners who approach this disc expecting something in the vein of Louis Armstrong will likely be disappointed. Then again maybe not, if it's originality that's prized. Jérôme Noetinger and Erik M had, by the late '90s, established themselves as driving forces in contemporary electronic improvisation, performing and recording with virtually anyone of note in the field. For this album, they at least partially venture out into different, though adjacent, territory: that of musique concréte. Additionally, there is a large amount of post-processing, making it difficult to call the music contained herein "free improvisation" in, at least, the original sense of the term. Some of the tracks, such as the opening "Trees of Green" and the closing "Pretty in the Sky," will not strike the experienced listener as unfamiliar. Both are superb electro-acoustic integrations of abstract and found sounds, leavened into a full and satisfying whole and recorded with wonderful clarity. The surprise sets in on the fourth track where one is suddenly buffeted by the playful and sarcastic screams of what appears to be a handful of ten-year-olds. Suddenly, it feels as though you've wandered into a Luc Ferrari piece as the treated, real-world sounds mingle with electronics. These sounds may be deemed intriguing or banal depending on the listener's frame of reference, but by and large they meld solidly with their accompaniment. There's a wonderful moment in "Dark Sacred Night" where a French chanteuse has her torch song utterly obliterated by a storm of ultra-harsh static and white noise. What a Wonderful World is a fine example of the restless pursuit of new sonic combinations; as well as furthering the idea, in this genre, of wh at is possible after the "performance" has ended. Recommended.