JUNE 23

         LOUIS ARMSTRONG
        Hot Five session

        Recording Date:
            June 23, 1926
            Chicago

        Personnel:
             Louie Armstrong   CT,Vo
             Kid Ory                TB
            Johnny Dodds        CL
            Johnny St. Cyr       BJ
            Clarence Babcock  Vo
            Lil Armstrong         P
  
      LINK

Review by Scott Yanow
To say that the performances on this CD (plus the ones on volumes two through four) are classic would be an extreme understatement. With these first 16 recordings by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five, the trumpeter revolutionized jazz, changing it from an ensemble-oriented music into an art form dominated by virtuoso soloists. The most powerful jazz improviser of the 1920s, Louis Armstrong's beautiful tone, his sense of swing (which set the stage for the big band era), and his chance-taking yet melodic improvisations amazed his contemporaries and permanently altered the future of jazz. With clarinetist Johnny Dodds (the pacesetter on his instrument), trombonist Kid Ory, pianist Lil Armstrong, and banjoist Johnny St. Cyr all making strong contributions, the music is consistently memorable and innovative.

King Of The Zulus (Hardin, Lil) [master 9776-A] -- OKeh 8396
Big Fat Ma And Skinny Pa (Jones, R.M.) [master 9777-A] -- OKeh 8379
Lonesome Blues (Hardin, Lil) [master 9778-A] -- OKeh 8396
Sweet Little Papa (Ory, Edward) [master 9779-A] -- OKeh 8379