Complete Hot Five & Seven Recordings

Product Description:

Personnel: Louis Armstrong (vocals, cornet); May Alix (vocals); Boyd Atkins (soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, clarinet); Joe Walker (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Albert Washington (tenor saxophone); Bill Wilson (cornet); Honore Dutrey, Edward "Kid" Ory, Harry Clark, John Thomas (trombone); Pete Briggs (tuba); Johnny Dodds (clarinet); Earl Hines, Lil Hardin Armstrong (piano); Rip Bassett, Johnny St. Cyr (banjo); Warren "Baby" Dodds, Tubby Hall (drums).

Producers: Richard M. Jones, Tommy Rockwell.

Compilation producer: Michael Brooks.

Recorded between November 1926 and December 1927. Includes liner notes by Gary Giddens.

These historic recordings form the foundation for much of modern jazz as we know it. Louis Armstrong had been developing his musical ideas since first meeting and playing with King Oliver in New Orleans in 1917. After making a stunning debut with Fletcher Henderson's orchestra in New York, he had moved to Chicago with the encouragement of his wife, Lillian, to capitalize on his success and start his own group. It's easy to see what the fuss was all about; Armstrong's playing on these recordings is nothing short of stunning, soaring with energy and confidence on tracks like "Weary Blues" and "Potato Head Blues," while his vocals on "Struttin' with Some Barbeque" show the nascent talent that would stand him in good stead in later years on recordings like "Hello Dolly" and "Mack the Knife."