Playlist for All That Jazz, the day after Louis Armstrong’s 113th birthday.
Musicians and critics alike hold a special place in their hearts for Louis Armstrong’s contributions to our understanding of American jazz. This is not simply because he has been gone now for forty-three years and it is easier to be kinder to his memory in retrospect; rather, it’s because with the passing of time we are only just now beginning to realize the enormity of his musical legacy and its impact on jazz music and African-American culture. This fact can be measured in part simply by the incredible number of books about him that have been published since his death forty-three years ago in 1971, the most recent being Thomas Brothers’ recent book Louis Armstrong: Master of Modernism, published in February of this year. Brothers’ earlier book Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans was published in 2007. My point here is that assessing the significance of Armstrong’s musical legacy continues to be a fertile ground of new discoveries and fresh insights.
Louis Armstrong intro to Chimes Blues “Chimes Blues” from Chimes Blues
Louis Armstrong “Chimes Blues” from Chimes Blues (1923) — Joe ‘King’ Oliver (cornet), Louis Armstrong (cornet), Honoré Dutrey (trombone), Johnny Dodds (clarinet), Lil Hardin (piano), Baby Dodds (drums), William M. Johnson (banjo)
Cookie’s Gingersnaps (Jimmie Noone) “Here Comes The Hot Tamale Man” composed by Rose/Harrison from Jimmie Noone 1923-28 (1926) on Classics — Freddie Keppard, corn; Fred Garland, trom; Mimmie Noone, clar; Joe Poston, tenor; Kenneth Anderson, piano; Johnny St. Cyr, banjo
Kid Ory “Blues For Jimmie Noone” composed by Kid Ory from Kid Ory’s Creole Jazz Band (1944) — Kid Ory played with Jimmie Noone during the early 20’s
King Oliver’s Jazz Band “Chattanooga Stomp” from King Oliver’s Jazz Band (1923) — King Oliver, cor; Lewis Armstrong, cor; Ed Atkins, trom; Jimmie Noone, clar; Lil Hardin, piano; Johnny St. Cyr, banjo; Baby Dodds, drums
Clarence Williams Blue Five “Texas Moaner Blues” from Clarence Williams (1924) on Giants of Jazz — New York. Clarence Williams, piano; Lewis Armstrong, cor; Charlie Irvis, trom; Sidney Bechet, soprano; Buddy Christian, banjo
Wynton Marsalis Intro “Louis is a rare occurrence” from Louis is a rare occurrence
Louis Armstrong “West End Blues” composed by King Oliver from Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (1928) on Columbia — Earl Hines on piano
Louis Armstrong “Mary Had a Little Bear” from Mary Had a Little Bear
Fletcher Henderson and HIs Orchestra “Sugar Foot Stomp” from Fletcher Henderson (1925) on Columbia — Louis Armstrong, trum; Charlie Green, trom; Buster Bailey, clar; Don Redman, alto; Coleman Hawkins, tenor
Hot Lips Page “Jump For Joy” composed by Hot Lips Page from Jump for Joy! (1937) on Columbia/Legacy
Bunny Berigan “Blues In E Flat” composed by Berigan from 1935 – 1939 (1935) on Chronological Classics
Harry James “Two O’Clock Jump” composed by James, Goodman, Basie from The Hits of Harry James (1939) on Capitol
Louis Armstrong intro “Cornet Chop Suey” from Cornet Chop Suey
Louis Armstong Hot Fives “Cornet Shop Suey” from Hot Fives (1926) — Armstrong intros song
Louis Armstong intro to Bessie Smith “Intro to Bessie” from Intro to Bessie
Bessie Smith “You’e Been A Good Ole Wagon” from Bessie Smith – The Collection (1929) on Columbia
Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton “Jelly Roll and scatting” from Jelly Roll and scatting
Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five “Heebie Jeebies” from Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five (1927) on Columbia — Note Scatting
Bix Beiderbecke “Singin’ The Blues” composed by Beiderbecke from Bix Beiderbecke vol I: Singin’ the Blues (1927) on Columbia — Bix heard Armstrong’s Heebie Jeebies and this was recorded soon after
Earl Hines “Satin Doll” from Live at the New School (1973) — Hines on solo piano; Hines first meet Armstrong in in 1925
Rex Stewart “Diga Diga Do” from Ellingtonians (1940)
Louis Armstrong “We All Speak the Same Language” from We All Speak the Same Language
Louis Armstrong And His All Stars “My Bucket’S Got a Hole In It” from My Bucket’S Got a Hole In It — vocals also from Jack Teagarden
Dicky Wells & Bill Coleman “Dicky Wells Blues” from Dicky Wells Blues (1937)
Louis Armstrong intro “What’s progressive?” from What’s progressive?
Louis Armstrong “C’est Si Bon” from C’est Si Bon
Charlie Shavers “In A Mellowtone” from The Last Session (1970) on Disques Black & Blue
Cootie Williams & His Orchestra “New Concerto for Cootie” from Cootie Williams in Hi-Fi (1958)
Edward R. Murrow “Louis Armstrong Interview” from Louis Armstrong Interview (1955)
Louis Armstrong “(What Did I Do To Be So) Black & Blue” composed by Brook, Razaf & Waller from satch plays fats (1955) on Columbia — Louis Armstrong and his All Stars: Clarinet, Barney Bigard; Trombone, Trummy Young; Piano, Billy Kyle; Bass, Arvell Shaw; Drums, Barret Deems
Phoebe Jacobs “Louis Armstrong” from Louis Armstrong
Buck Clayton “One O’Clock Jump” from Baden Switzerland (1966)
Roy Eldrige “TRUMPET BLUES” composed by Eldridge from Roy and Diz on OJC
Louis Armstrong Interview “The Den and the Beatles” from The Den and the Beatles
Duke Ellington “Solitude” composed by Ellington from The Great Summit (1961)
Louis Armstrong Interview “Philosophy” from Philosophy
Call and Response 