The Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Seven Sessions were recorded between 1925 and 1928 by

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and Singing, vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and se ...

with his Hot Five and Hot Seven groups. According to the

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservat ...

, "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

in 2002, the first year of the institution's existence. Ron Wynn and Bruce Boyd Raeburn, writing for the ''

All Music Guide to Jazz ''All Music Guide to Jazz'' is a non-fiction book that is an encyclopedic referencing of jazz music compiled under the direction of All Media Guide. The first edition, ''All Music Guide to Jazz: the Best CDs, Albums & Tapes'', appeared in 1994 an ...

'', 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 vocal jazz, scat singing is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. ...

in "

Heebie Jeebies Heebie-jeebies is a phrase, widely attributed to Billy DeBeck, meaning a feeling of anxiety, apprehension, depression or illness. Heebie-jeebies or heebie jeebies may also refer to: * "Heebie Jeebies" (composition), a 1926 single by Louis Armst ...

," and his solo on " Potato Head Blues" helped establish the stop-time technique in

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

Recordings

1925–1926 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) #"

" ( Boyd Atkins) #"Cornet Chop Suey" #"Oriental Strut" ( Johnny St. Cyr) #"You're Next" #"

Muskrat Ramble "Muskrat Ramble" is a jazz composition written by Kid Ory in 1926. It was first recorded on February 26, 1926, by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, and became the group's most frequently recorded piece. It was paired on the flip side with another ...

" (

Ray Gilbert Ray Gilbert (September 5, 1912 – March 3, 1976) was an American lyricist. He grew up in Hartford, Connecticut. Career Gilbert is best remembered for the lyrics to the Oscar-winning song " Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" from the film ''Song of the South'', ...

Kid Ory Edward "Kid" Ory (December 25, 1886 – January 23, 1973) was an American jazz composer, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of New Orleans jazz. He was ...

)

#"Don't Forget to Mess Around" (Armstrong, 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 "Willie the Weeper" is a song about drug addiction. It is based on a standard vaudeville song, likely written in 1904. It is credited to Walter Melrose, Grant Rymal, Marty Bloom, who published it with Morris Edwin H & Co Inc in 1908. The first re ...

" (Marty Bloom, Walter Melrose, Grant Rymal) #"Wild Man Blues" (Armstrong, "Jelly Roll" Morton) #"Chicago Breakdown" (Morton) #"Alligator Crawl" (

Joe Davis Joseph Davis (15 April 190110 July 1978) was an English professional snooker and English billiards player. He was the dominant figure in snooker from the 1920s to the 1950s, and has been credited with inventing aspects of the way the game is ...

Andy Razaf Andy Razaf (born Andriamanantena Paul Razafinkarefo; December 16, 1895 – February 3, 1973) was an American poet, composer and lyricist of such well-known songs as " Ain't Misbehavin'" and " Honeysuckle Rose". Biography Razaf was born in Wash ...

, Thomas Waller) #" Potato Head Blues" #"Melancholy Blues" (Bloom, Melrose) #" Weary Blues" (

Artie Matthews Artie Matthews (November 15, 1888 – October 25, 1958) was an American songwriter, pianist, and ragtime composer. Artie Matthews was born in Braidwood, Illinois; his family moved to Springfield, Illinois in his youth. He learned to play p ...

) #" Twelfth Street Rag" ( Euday Bowman) #"Keyhole Blues" (

Wesley Wilson Wesley Shellie Wilson (October 1, 1893 – October 10, 1958), often credited as Kid Wilson, was an American blues and jazz singer and songwriter. His stagecraft and performances with his wife and musical partner, Coot Grant, were popular w ...

) #"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" (E.J. Bennett) #"Ory's Creole Trombone" (Ory) #"The Last Time" (Ewing, Martin) #"Struttin' With Some Barbecue" (Hardin,

Don Raye Don Raye (born Donald MacRae Wilhoite Jr., March 16, 1909 – January 29, 1985) was an American songwriter, best known for his songs for The Andrews Sisters such as "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar", " The House of Blue Lights", "Just for a Th ...

) #"Got No Blues" (Hardin) #"Once in a While" (William Butler) #"I'm Not Rough" (Armstrong, Hardin) #"Hotter Than That" (Armstrong, Hardin) #"Savoy Blues" (Ory)

1928 Hot Five recordings

#"Fireworks" (Spencer Williams) #"Skip the Gutter" (S. Williams) #"A Monday Date" (

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

, Robin) #"Don't Jive Me" (Hardin) #"

West End Blues "West End Blues" is a multi-strain twelve-bar blues composition by Joe "King" Oliver. It is most commonly performed as an instrumental, although it has lyrics added by Clarence Williams. King Oliver and his Dixie Syncopators made the first rec ...

" (

King Oliver Joseph Nathan "King" Oliver (December 19, 1881 – April 8/10, 1938) was an American jazz cornet player and bandleader. He was particularly recognized for his playing style and his pioneering use of mutes in jazz. Also a notable composer, he wr ...

, C. Williams) #"Sugar Foot Strut" (Pierce) #"Two Deuces" (Hardin) #"

Squeeze Me "Squeeze Me" is a 1925 jazz standard composed by Fats Waller. It was based on an old blues song called "The Boy in the Boat". The lyrics were credited to publisher Clarence Williams, although Andy Razaf has claimed to have actually written th ...

" (Waller, C. Williams) #"Knee Drops" (Hardin)

Recording dates

Personnel

1925–1926 Hot Five recordings

Tracks 1–6

Hociel Thomas Hociel Thomas (July 10, 1904 – August 22, 1952) was an American blues singer and pianist in the classic female blues style. Born in Houston, Texas, United States, her father, George Washington Thomas, was a musician, songwriter, and music publi ...

(

voice The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound producti ...

)

(

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a so ...

) *

Johnny Dodds Johnny Dodds (; April 12, 1892 – August 8, 1940) was an American jazz clarinetist and alto saxophonist based in New Orleans, best known for his recordings under his own name and with bands such as those of Joe "King" Oliver, Jelly Roll Morto ...

(

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitch ...

) *

Hersal Thomas Hersal Thomas (September 9, 1906 – June 2, 1926) was an American blues pianist and composer. He recorded a number of sides for Okeh Records in 1925 and 1926. Thomas was born in Houston, Texas, United States, and displayed an early talent ...

(

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

) * Johnny St. Cyr (

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

)

Tracks 7–20

* Louis Armstrong (cornet) *

(

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...

) * Johnny Dodds (clarinet) * Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano) * Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)

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 22–25

* Clarence Babcock (voice) * Louis Armstrong (cornet, voice) * Kid Ory (trombone) * Johnny Dodds (clarinet) * Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano) * Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)

Tracks 26–27

* Louis Armstrong (cornet, voice) * Kid Ory (trombone) * Johnny Dodds (clarinet) * Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano) * Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)

Tracks 28–29

* May Alix (voice) * Louis Armstrong (cornet, voice) * Kid Ory (trombone) * Johnny Dodds (clarinet) * Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano) * Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)

Tracks 30–31

* Louis Armstrong (cornet, voice) * Henry Clark (trombone) * Johnny Dodds (clarinet) * Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano) * Johnny St. Cyr (banjo)

1927 Hot Seven recordings

Tracks 32–33

* Louis Armstrong (cornet) Baby Dodds (Gottlieb 02051)

* John Thomas (trombone) * Johnny Dodds (clarinet) * Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano) * Johnny St. Cyr (banjo) * Pete Briggs (tuba) * Baby Dodds (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

)

Track 34

* Louis Armstrong (cornet) Maud Cuney Hare-155-Earl Hines

* Bill Wilson (cornet) *

Honoré Dutrey Honoré Dutrey (c. 1894 in New Orleans, Louisiana – July 21, 1935 in Chicago, Illinois) was a dixieland jazz trombonist, probably best known for his work in King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. In New Orleans, Dutrey played with the Excelsio ...

(trombone) * Boyd Atkins (clarinet,

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B t ...

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, so ...

) * Joe Walker (alto saxophone,

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contrab ...

) * Albert Washington (

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

) *

(piano) * Rip Bassett (banjo,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

) * Pete Briggs (tuba) * Tubby Hall (drums)

Tracks 35–43

* 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 44–50

* Louis Armstrong (cornet) * Kid Ory (trombone) * Johnny Dodds (clarinet) * Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano) * Johnny St. Cyr (banjo, guitar)

Tracks 51–52

* Louis Armstrong (cornet, voice) LonnieJohnsonByRussellLee1941Crop

* Kid Ory (trombone) * Johnny Dodds (clarinet) * Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano) * Johnny St. Cyr (banjo, guitar) * Lonnie Johnson (guitar)

1928 Hot Five recordings

Tracks 53–56

* Lillie Delk Christian (voice) * Louis Armstrong (trumpet) * Jimmy Noone (clarinet) * Earl Hines (piano) * Mancy Carr (banjo)

Tracks 57–67

Zutty Singleton, Adele Girard (Gottlieb 07861) (cropped)

Louis Armstrong (trumpet, voice) * Fred Robinson (trombone) * Jimmy Strong (clarinet, tenor saxophone) * Earl Hines (piano) * Mancy Carr (banjo) *

Zutty Singleton Arthur James "Zutty" Singleton (May 14, 1898 – July 14, 1975) was an American jazz drummer. Career Singleton was born in Bunkie, Louisiana, United States, and raised in New Orleans. According to his ''Jazz Profiles'' biography, his unusual ...

(drums)

Tracks 68–70

* Louis Armstrong (trumpet, voice) * Fred Robinson (trombone) * Jimmy Strong (tenor saxophone, clarinet) *

Don Redman Donald Matthew Redman (July 29, 1900 – November 30, 1964) was an American jazz musician, arranger, bandleader, and composer. Biography Redman was born in Piedmont, Mineral County, West Virginia, United States. His father was a music teacher ...

(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 73–75

* 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

Louis Armstrong (trumpet) *

Jack Teagarden Weldon Leo "Jack" Teagarden (August 20, 1905 – January 15, 1964) was an American jazz trombonist and singer. According to critic Scott Yannow of Allmusic, Teagarden was the preeminent American jazz trombone player before the bebop era of the 1 ...

(trombone) *

Happy Caldwell Albert W. "Happy" Caldwell (sometimes incorrectly spelled Cauldwell) (July 25, 1903 in Chicago – December 29, 1978 in New York City) was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. Caldwell began on clarinet at age 16, playing in ...

(tenor saxophone) * Joe Sullivan (piano) *

Eddie Lang Eddie Lang (born Salvatore Massaro, October 25, 1902 – March 26, 1933) was an American musician who is credited as the father of jazz guitar. During the 1920s, he gave the guitar a prominence it previously lacked as a solo instrument, as p ...

(guitar) * Kaiser Marshall (drums)

Tracks 77–79

* Louis Armstrong (trumpet, voice) * J.C. Higginbotham (trombone) *

Albert Nicholas Albert Nicholas (May 27, 1900 – September 3, 1973) was an American jazz clarinet player. Career Nicholas's primary instrument was the clarinet, which he studied with Lorenzo Tio in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Late ...

(alto saxophone) * Charlie Holmes (alto saxophone) * Teddy Hill (tenor saxophone) * Luis Russell (piano) *

Eddie Condon Albert Edwin Condon (November 16, 1905 – August 4, 1973) was an American jazz banjoist, guitarist, and bandleader. A leading figure in Chicago jazz, he also played piano and sang. Early years Condon was born in Goodland, Indiana, the son of J ...

(banjo) * Lonnie Johnson (guitar) *

Pops Foster George Murphy "Pops" Foster (May 19, 1892 – October 30, 1969) was an American jazz musician, best known for his vigorous slap bass playing of the string bass. He also played the tuba and trumpet professionally. Biography Foster was born ...

(bass) * Paul Barbarin (drums)

References

{{Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong albums United States National Recording Registry recordings

Recordings

1925–1926 Hot Five recordings

1927 Hot Seven recordings

1927 Hot Five recordings

1928 Hot Five recordings

Recording dates

Personnel

1925–1926 Hot Five recordings

Tracks 1–6

Tracks 7–20

Track 21

Tracks 22–25

Tracks 26–27

Tracks 28–29

Tracks 30–31

1927 Hot Seven recordings

Tracks 32–33

Track 34

Tracks 35–43

1927 Hot Five recordings

Tracks 44–50

Tracks 51–52

1928 Hot Five recordings

Tracks 53–56

Tracks 57–67

Tracks 68–70

Track 71

Track 72

Tracks 73–75

Track 76

Tracks 77–79

See also

References