LIL HARDIN ARMSTRONG AND HER SWING ORCHESTRA – 1936-1940 | The Classics Chronological Series – 564 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Years before Joe Glaser assumed unmitigated control over Louis Armstrong's professional existence, Lil Hardin Armstrong essentially served as her husband's manager. She taught him music theory, and advised him how to dress in style and conduct himself with dignity in public. She also suggested when the time was ripe for Louis to break away from King Oliver's band and venture out on his own. Had it not been for Lil Hardin Armstrong, the Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings would never have come together the way they did, and Louis Armstrong's career would have unfolded much differently. Lil was a brilliant pianist. She sang in a gutsy manner, often using lyrics that were disarmingly funny. "Or Leave Me Alone" is one of the best examples of her knuckly humor that you'll ever hear. It also anticipates a song that Groucho Marx would present many years later as an elderly man singing softly under the spotlight at Carnegie Hall. "Show me a rose, and I'll show you a stag at bay...Show me a rose, or leave me alone," he sang, along with other lyrics that can only be described as surreal. Who wrote Groucho's song, and wasn't it closely based upon this spunky bit of fun from 1936? In another surprising premonition, "Brown Gal" is clearly the direct ancestor of "Bad Boy," a big hit for the Jive Bombers during the 1950s. Chu Berry is all over the first six selections, and Buster Bailey's clarinet lights up the first 14. Berry is succeeded by Robert Carroll, Prince Robinson, Tony Zimmers, and Russell Johns. Let's hear it for the great forgotten tenor players! When Wellman Braud showed up to play bass on April 15, 1937, Pops Foster retreated to the drums. It's the kind of a reaction you'd expect out of any sensible bassist, although Foster could have stood his ground. Maybe they flipped a coin. In any case, Foster uses the hi-hat with great success. These songs are all typical of the 1930s, a time when anybody could float a three-minute song regardless of lyrical content. Lil plays no piano on this collection until the session of September 9, 1939. And it isn't until March 18, 1940, that listeners get to enjoy a pair of instrumentals. In spite of the band being identified as Lil's Dixielanders, "Sixth Street" and "Riffin' the Blues" sound like pure unadulterated Harlem swing. The next place to go is Lil's fabulous 1961 session for Riverside Records, a strong installment in that marvelous series entitled Chicago: The Living Legends.  arwulf arwulf   
Tracklist :
1    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Or Leave Me Alone 2:58
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – John Frazier
Guitar – Huey Long
Piano – Teddy Cole
Tenor Saxophone – Chu Berry
Trumpet – Joe Thomas
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Buck
2    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    My Hi-De-Ho Man 2:39
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – John Frazier
Guitar – Huey Long
Piano – Teddy Cole
Tenor Saxophone – Chu Berry
Trumpet – Joe Thomas
Vocals Written-By – Lil Armstrong
3    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Brown Gal 2:43
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – John Frazier
Guitar – Huey Long
Piano – Teddy Cole
Tenor Saxophone – Chu Berry
Trumpet – Joe Thomas
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Avon, Armstrong
4    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Doin' The Suzie-Q 2:48
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – John Frazier
Guitar – Huey Long
Piano – Teddy Cole
Tenor Saxophone – Chu Berry
Trumpet – Joe Thomas
Vocals, Written-By – Lil Armstrong
5    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Just For A Thrill 2:48
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – John Frazier
Guitar – Huey Long
Piano – Teddy Cole
Tenor Saxophone – Chu Berry
Trumpet – Joe Thomas
Vocals, Written-By – Lil Armstrong
6    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    It's Murder 2:18
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – John Frazier
Guitar – Huey Long
Piano – Teddy Cole
Tenor Saxophone – Chu Berry
Trumpet – Joe Thomas (4)
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Buck, Armstrong
7    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Born To Swing 2:33
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – George "Pop" Foster
Guitar – Arnold Adams
Piano – James Sherman
Tenor Saxophone – Robert Carroll
Trumpet – Joe Thomas
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Avon, Armstrong
8    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    (I'm On A) Sit-Down Strike For Rhythm 2:41
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – George "Pop" Foster
Guitar – Arnold Adams
Piano – James Sherman
Tenor Saxophone – Robert Carroll
Trumpet – Joe Thomas
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Avon, Armstrong
9    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Bluer Than Blue 3:08
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – George "Pop" Foster
Guitar – Arnold Adams
Piano – James Sherman
Tenor Saxophone – Robert Carroll
Trumpet – Joe Thomas
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Avon, Armstrong
10    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    I'm Knockin' At The Cabin Door 2:54
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – George "Pop" Foster
Guitar – Arnold Adams
Piano – James Sherman
Tenor Saxophone – Robert Carroll
Trumpet – Joe Thomas
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Avon, Armstrong
11    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Lindy Hop 2:49
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – Manzie Johnson
Guitar – Arnold Adams
Piano – James Sherman
Tenor Saxophone – Prince Robinson
Trumpet – Shirley Clay
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Avon, Armstrong
12    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    When I Went Back Home 2:37
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – Manzie Johnson
Guitar – Arnold Adams
Piano – James Sherman
Tenor Saxophone – Prince Robinson
Trumpet – Shirley Clay
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Avon, Armstrong
13    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Let's Call It Love 3:00
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – Manzie Johnson
Guitar – Arnold Adams
Piano – James Sherman
Tenor Saxophone – Prince Robinson
Trumpet – Shirley Clay
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Armstrong, Matthews
14    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    You Mean So Much To Me 2:50
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – Manzie Johnson
Guitar – Arnold Adams
Piano – James Sherman
Tenor Saxophone – Prince Robinson
Trumpet – Shirley Clay
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Jackson
15    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Let's Get Happy Together 2:54
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Tony Zimmers
Double Bass [String Bass] – Haig Stephens
Drums – Sam Weiss
Guitar – Dave Barbour
Piano – Frank Froeba
Trombone – Al Philburn
Trumpet [or] – Johnny McGee, Ralph Muzillo
Vocals, Written-By – Lil Armstrong
16    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Happy Today, Sad Tomorrow 3:09
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Tony Zimmers
Double Bass [String Bass] – Haig Stephens
Drums – Sam Weiss
Guitar – Dave Barbour
Piano – Frank Froeba
Trombone – Al Philburn
Trumpet [or] – Johnny McGee, Ralph Muzillo
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Armstrong, Livingston
17    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    You Shall Reap What You Sow 2:59
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Tony Zimmers
Double Bass [String Bass] – Haig Stephens
Drums – Sam Weiss
Guitar – Dave Barbour
Piano – Frank Froeba
Trombone – Al Philburn
Trumpet [or] – Johnny McGee*, Ralph Muzillo
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Robinson
18    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Oriental Swing 2:58
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone – Tony Zimmers
Double Bass [String Bass] – Haig Stephens
Drums – Sam Weiss
Guitar – Dave Barbour
Piano – Frank Froeba
Trombone – Al Philburn
Trumpet [or] – Johnny McGee, Ralph Muzillo
Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Written-By – Spencer
19    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Safely Locked Up In My Heart 2:54
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – O'Neil Spencer
Piano, Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Trombone – J.C. Higginbotham
Trumpet – Reunald Jones
Written-By – Avon, Armstrong
20    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Everything's Wrong, Ain't Nothing Right 3:02
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – O'Neil Spencer
Piano, Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Trombone – J.C. Higginbotham
Trumpet – Reunald Jones
Written By – Evans
Written-By – Armstrong
21    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Harlem On Saturday Night 2:40
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – O'Neil Spencer
Piano, Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Trombone – J.C. Higginbotham
Trumpet – Reunald Jones
Written-By – Smith, Johnson
22    Lil Armstrong And Her Swing Orchestra–    Knock-Kneed Sal (On The Mourner's Bench) 2:31
Clarinet – Buster Bailey
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – O'Neil Spencer
Piano, Vocals – Lil Armstrong
Trombone – J.C. Higginbotham
Trumpet – Reunald Jones
Written-By – Armstrong, Randolph
23    Lil "Brown Gal" Armstrong And Her Dixielanders–    Sixth Street 2:47
Alto Saxophone – Don Stovall
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – Manzie Johnson
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Tenor Saxophone – Russell Johns
Trumpet – Jonah Jones
Written By – Fitzpatrick
24    Lil "Brown Gal" Armstrong And Her Dixielanders–    Riffin' The Blues 2:37
Alto Saxophone – Don Stovall
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – Manzie Johnson
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Tenor Saxophone – Russell Johns
Trumpet – Jonah Jones
Written By – Fitzpatrick
25    Lil "Brown Gal" Armstrong And Her Dixielanders–    Why Is A Good Man So Hard To Find? 3:00
Alto Saxophone – Don Stovall
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – Manzie Johnson
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Tenor Saxophone – Russell Johns
Trumpet – Jonah Jones
Vocals – Midge Williams
Written-By – Davis
26    Lil "Brown Gal" Armstrong And Her Dixielanders–    My Secret Flame 3:09
Alto Saxophone – Don Stovall
Double Bass [String Bass] – Wellman Braud
Drums – Manzie Johnson
Piano – Lil Armstrong
Tenor Saxophone – Russell Johns
Trumpet – Jonah Jones
Vocals – Hilda Rogers
Written-By – Avon, Armstrong