The Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Seven Sessions were recorded between 1925 and 1928 by Louis Armstrong with his Hot Five and Hot Seven groups. According to the National Recording Registry, "Louis Armstrong was jazz's first great soloist and is among American music's most important and influential figures. These sessions, his solos in particular, set a standard musicians still strive to equal in their beauty and innovation." These recordings were added to the National Recording Registry in 2002, the first year of the institution's existence.
Ron Wynn and Bruce Boyd Raeburn, writing for the All Music Guide to Jazz, note that "these recordings radically altered jazz's focus; instead of collective playing, Armstrong's spectacular instrumental (and vocal) improvisations redefined the music." Armstrong helped popularize scat singing in "Heebie Jeebies," and his solo on "Potato Head Blues" helped establish the stop-time technique in jazz.
Recordings
1925âÂÂ1926 Hot Five recordings
- "My Heart" (Lil Armstrong)
- "Yes! I'm in the Barrel"
- "Gut Bucket Blues"
- "Come Back Sweet Papa" (Paul Barbarin, Luis Russell)
- "Georgia Grind" (Spencer Williams)
- "Heebie Jeebies" (Boyd Atkins)
- "Cornet Chop Suey"
- "Oriental Strut" (Johnny St. Cyr)
- "You're Next"
- "Muskrat Ramble" (Kid Ory)
- "Don't Forget to Mess Around" (Barbarin)
- "I'm Gonna Gitcha" (Lil Hardin)
- "Droppin' Shucks" (Hardin)
- "Who' Sit" (Richard M. Jones)
- "He Likes It Slow" (J. Edwards)
- "The King of the Zulus" (Lil Armstrong)
- "Big Fat Ma and Skinny Pa" (Richard M. Jones)
- "Lonesome Blues" (Hardin)
- "Sweet Little Papa" (Ory)
- "Jazz Lips" (Hardin)
- "Skid-Dat-De-Dat" (Hardin)
- "Big Butter and Egg Man" (Armstrong, Percy Venable)
- "Sunset Cafe Stomp" (Armstrong, Venable)
- "You Made Me Love You" (Armstrong, Venable)
- "Irish Black Bottom" (Armstrong, Venable)
1927 Hot Seven recordings
- "Willie the Weeper" (Marty Bloom, Walter Melrose)
- "Wild Man Blues" (Armstrong, "Jelly Roll" Morton)
- "Chicago Breakdown" (Morton)
- "Alligator Crawl" (Joe Davis, Andy Razaf, Thomas Waller)
- "Potato Head Blues"
- "Melancholy Blues" (Bloom, Melrose)
- "Weary Blues" (Artie Matthews)
- "Twelfth Street Rag" (Euday Bowman)
- "Keyhole Blues" (Wesley Wilson)
- "S.O.L. Blues"
- "Gully Low Blues"
- "That's When I'll Come Back to You" (Biggs)
1927 Hot Five recordings
- "Put 'Em Down Blues" (Armstrong)
- "Ory's Creole Trombone" (Ory)
- "The Last Time" (Ewing, Martin)
- "Struttin' With Some Barbecue" (Armstrong)
- "Got No Blues" (Hardin)
- "Once in a While" (William Butler)
- "I'm Not Rough" (Armstrong, Hardin)
- "Hotter Than That" (Hardin)
- "Savoy Blues" (Ory)
1928 Hot Five recordings
- "Fireworks" (Spencer Williams)
- "Skip the Gutter" (S. Williams)
- "A Monday Date" (Earl Hines)
- "Don't Jive Me" (Hardin)
- "West End Blues" (King Oliver, C. Williams)
- "Sugar Foot Strut" (Pierce)
- "Two Deuces" (Hardin)
- "Squeeze Me" (Waller, C. Williams)
- "Knee Drops" (Hardin)
Recording dates
Personnel
1925âÂÂ1926 Hot Five recordings
Tracks 1âÂÂ6
Tracks 7âÂÂ20
Track 21
- Joe and Susie Edwards (Butterbeans and Susie) (voice)
- Louis Armstrong (cornet)
- Kid Ory (trombone)
- Johnny Dodds (clarinet)
- Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano)
- Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)
Tracks 22âÂÂ25
- Clarence Babcock (voice)
- Louis Armstrong (cornet, voice)
- Kid Ory (trombone)
- Johnny Dodds (clarinet)
- Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano)
- Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)
Tracks 26âÂÂ27
- Louis Armstrong (cornet, voice)
- Kid Ory (trombone)
- Johnny Dodds (clarinet)
- Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano)
- Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)
Tracks 28âÂÂ29
- May Alix (voice)
- Louis Armstrong (cornet, voice)
- Kid Ory (trombone)
- Johnny Dodds (clarinet)
- Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano)
- Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)
Tracks 30âÂÂ31
- Louis Armstrong (cornet, voice)
- Henry Clark (trombone)
- Johnny Dodds (clarinet)
- Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano)
- Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)
1927 Hot Seven recordings
Tracks 32âÂÂ33
- Louis Armstrong (cornet)
- John Thomas (trombone)
- Johnny Dodds (clarinet)
- Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano)
- Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)
- Pete Briggs (tuba)
- Baby Dodds (drums)
Track 34
Tracks 35âÂÂ43
- Louis Armstrong (cornet)
- John Thomas (trombone)
- Johnny Dodds (clarinet)
- Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano)
- Johnny St. Cyr (banjo, guitar)
- Pete Briggs (tuba)
- Baby Dodds (drums)
1927 Hot Five recordings
Tracks 44âÂÂ50
- Louis Armstrong (cornet)
- Kid Ory (trombone)
- Johnny Dodds (clarinet)
- Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano)
- Johnny St. Cyr (banjo, guitar)
Tracks 51âÂÂ52
- Louis Armstrong (cornet, voice)
- Kid Ory (trombone)
- Johnny Dodds (clarinet)
- Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano)
- Johnny St. Cyr (banjo, guitar)
- Lonnie Johnson (guitar)
1928 Hot Five recordings
Tracks 53âÂÂ56
Tracks 57âÂÂ67
Tracks 68âÂÂ70
- Louis Armstrong (trumpet, voice)
- Fred Robinson (trombone)
- Jimmy Strong (tenor saxophone, clarinet)
- Don Redman (clarinet, alto saxophone)
- Earl Hines (piano)
- Dave Wilborn (banjo, guitar)
- Zutty Singleton (drums)
Track 71
- Louis Armstrong (trumpet)
- Earl Hines (piano)
Track 72
- Louis Armstrong (trumpet)
- Fred Robinson (trombone)
- Jimmy Strong (clarinet)
- Earl Hines (piano)
- Mancy Carr (banjo)
- Zutty Singleton (drums)
Tracks 73âÂÂ75
- Louis Armstrong (trumpet, voice)
- Fred Robinson (trombone)
- Jimmy Strong (clarinet, tenor saxophone)
- Don Redman (clarinet, alto saxophone)
- Earl Hines (piano)
- Mancy Carr (banjo)
- Zutty Singleton (drums)
Track 76
Tracks 77âÂÂ79
See also
References