LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS HOT FIVE – 1925-1926 | The Classics Chronological Series – 600 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

If one CD compilation could represent a body of work that defined the art of jazz during the mid-'20s, this might be it: cornetist Louis Armstrong's first recordings as leader of his own band, beginning in November of 1925 and covering almost exactly one year of vigorously creative activity as the OKeh record label's hottest act. In addition to Lil Hardin's skills as composer, pianist, arranger, and professional advisor, Armstrong was fortunate to have in his little group rock-solid trombonist Kid Ory and clarinetist Johnny Dodds, who can be heard playing alto sax on "Come Back Sweet Papa" and "Don't Forget to Mess Around." Last but not least, Johnny St. Cyr's banjo served as the rhythmic and tonal backbone of the Hot Five. Some of these records -- "Cornet Chop Suey," "Muskrat Ramble," "Heebie Jeebies," and "Yes! I'm in the Barrel" -- became archetypal blueprints for jazz performance. Each track is packed with pleasant surprises. "Gut Bucket Blues," named in honor of a diet of entrails dictated by poverty, was one of Armstrong's very first recordings to be punctuated with friendly, vocal outbursts. Inspired by a popular dance step, "Georgia Bo Bo" was composed by Thomas "Fats" Waller. Lil Hardin's "King of the Zulus" is a masterpiece of comically enhanced jazz, topped only by a cover version waxed a few months later by Thomas Morris and the New Orleans Blue Five. The vaudeville aspect of Louis Armstrong is well represented here, particularly when he is joined by punky-voiced Lil Hardin on "Georgia Grind." May Alix, typical of music hall singers of her day, uses a shrill vibrato to serenade her "Big Butter and Egg Man." The effect, especially when tempered by a humorous vocal from the cornet player, is marvelously old-fashioned. Also included are four Vocalion sides from May of 1926 by the Hot Five -- billed as Lil's Hot Shots -- and two featuring Armstrong with Erskine Tate's Vendome Orchestra. Tate's high-stepping group only managed to record four titles, two in 1923 with Freddie Keppard and the two sizzling stomps issued here. With master percussionist Jimmy Bertrand hitting the cymbals with all his might, the two frantic Tate sides contrast wonderfully with the more compact, intimate sound of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five. arwulf arwulf    Tracklist + Credits :

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS HOT FIVE AND HOT SEVEN – 1926-1927 | The Classics Chronological Series – 585 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Louis Armstrong's Hot Five was the most influential jazz band of the mid-'20s. The first volume of Armstrong's complete works reissued by Classics followed this group's trail of recordings from November of 1925 through those made almost exactly one year later. Opening this second volume of vintage Armstrong, the Hot Five's last three records of 1926 are peppered with hot vocals intended to entertain and amuse. May Alix shouts the lyrics to "Sunset Cafe Stomp" and Armstrong puts across an interesting tune referencing two downtrodden ethnic groups, Irish and Afro-American. "You Made Me Love You" is not the venerable vaudeville number recorded by Al Jolson in 1913, but a punchy Armstrong original similar to the quaint syncopated love songs he had cooked up with Lil Hardin when they were still working for King Oliver. In May 1927 Armstrong expanded his ensemble for the first time to become the Hot Seven. The addition of Pete Briggs on tuba and Baby Dodds at the drums resulted in a full-bodied sound that made "Willie the Weeper" and "Potato Head Blues" so remarkably and enduringly potent. Armstrong's version of Fats Waller's "Alligator Crawl" is a miracle of perfect timing and immaculate ease. If Lil Hardin Armstrong's references to domestic violence seem a bit reckless during "That's When I'll Come Back to You," listeners should be advised that Afro-American music has always caused consternation by openly referring to topics usually swept under the rug. During the autumn and winter of 1927 Armstrong scaled his band back to five pieces, revisiting Kid Ory's 1922 novelty rag "Ory's Creole Trombone," adding a sixth player in guitarist Lonnie Johnson on "I'm Not Rough," and introducing to the world one of Lil Hardin Armstrong's all-time greatest compositions, "Struttin' with Some Barbecue." arwulf arwulf  Tracklist :

KING OLIVER AND HIS CREOLE JAZZ BAND – 1923 | The Chronogical Classics – 650 (1992) FLAC (tracks), lossless

There are more than a handful of undiluted jazz records that predate King Oliver's sessions of 1923, but few had managed to put it together in a recording studio quite so powerfully or, as it turned out, so very influentially. These primordial artifacts, now digitally remastered and chronologically assembled, form a substantial chunk of the bedrock of early recorded jazz. They're also remarkably liberating if, for just a few minutes, you make yourself into a fly on the wall of the Gennett studios. Note that young Louis Armstrong had to pretty well stand outside of the room so that he wouldn't overpower the rest of the players. Johnny Dodds interacted wonderfully with the brass, weaving wreaths of wooded filigree around the exhortations of Honore Dutrey's deep-voiced trombone. Lil Hardin, when you can hear her, is quite the majestic pianist, especially on "Chimes Blues." Baby Dodds couldn't use a full set of drums, as Gennett's Neolithic microphones couldn't handle anything beyond wood block or muffled snare and a small cymbal. Most previous issues of the 1923 Oliver Gennetts didn't include the OKeh sessions from June of that same year. These help to fill out the rest of the picture. The general recording ambience is less muddled, the clarinet seems to have been given greater opportunities for expressing itself in the lower register, and Lil's piano is more audible. Hardin and Armstrong's collaborative "Where Did You Stay Last Night?" sounds like a clear premonition of what Armstrong's Hot Five would be accomplishing by 1925. For years, jazz critics and historians have whined about the presence of Stump Evans, who blew C-melody saxophone on the session of October 5, 1923. As if being nicknamed "Stump" wasn't demeaning enough, Evans has been posthumously reviled for not sounding like Coleman Hawkins, although in 1923 young Hawk was hardly more facile than Stump, who sounds just fine on "Krooked Blues," slap tongue and all. Everything here bears repeated listening. Savor the wonderment of experiencing most of the best recordings King Oliver managed to make before pyorrhea forced him off the scene. Hearing those two cornets flying around the room together is an essential part of any classic jazz appreciation. A special treat lies within the melodic structure of "Camp Meeting Blues," which is clearly recognizable as the basis for Duke Ellington's "Creole Love Call." The inclusion of this and three other Columbia sides makes Classics 650 the ultimate early King Oliver survey, second to none. arwulf arwulf  
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KING OLIVER's JAZZ BAND – 1923-1926 | The Chronogical Classics – 639 (1992) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

We'd like to introduce the last 11 sides that Louis Armstrong made with Joe Oliver's Jazz Band. After listening through three or four of these, you'll have a pretty good idea why this group generated so much excitement in its heyday. Already the ensemble has begun to morph. Papa Charlie Jackson's bass saxophone adds an extra level of funk to "Buddy's Habit," a thrilling stomp gone slightly weird when Louis takes an entire chorus using a slippery "swanee whistle." Jackson played a worthy tuba but his bass sax was all prostate and peritoneum. This was a hot band and these are among the best records they ever managed to conjure. Two cornets harmonize in striking tandem during the breaks. Honore Dutrey's trombone is the perfect counterweight for Johnny Dodds' clarinet. We're experiencing authentic collective improvisation, eight people sharing one microphone. Each of these numbers will charm you if you give the music a chance. Go ahead. Spend more than a half-hour with this amazing band. Suddenly the chapter ends and we've entered a completely different phase of Oliver's life. The group has dissolved after a dispute over pay. Louis lingered longer than the rest but by December of 1924 he's off plowing his own turf. A full year has passed since the band's final session as a unit. King Oliver is heard in duet performance with Jelly Roll Morton, working up a gutsy "King Porter Stomp" and a "Tom Cat" which soon reveals itself as Morton's "Winin' Boy." Now we're wading into the year 1926. Oliver has put his name in front of a band, which is essentially Luis Russell & His Burning Eight. Suddenly there are a lot more reed players than have ever been heard on any of King Oliver's records. There's Albert Nicholas, Barney Bigard and an alto player from Detroit named Billy Paige. He wrote the arrangements for "Too Bad" and "Snag It." Vocals are by the venerably funky Richard M. Jones, the soulful Teddy Peters, the salty Georgia Taylor and the chronically blue Irene Scruggs. Albert Nicholas plays a mean soprano sax on "Home Town Blues." "Deep Henderson" kicks and shakes. "Jackass Blues" is a masterpiece of distorted reality. Gone is the precision of the Creole Jazz Band. The Dixie Syncopators blow hard and swing loose. "Sugar Foot Stomp" is a screamer. Conventional criticism is full of complaints about this band. Why compare it with the smaller, more disciplined ensembles of 1923? These big bumbling bands of 1926 are about feeling good. The records don't exist to authenticate some expert's theories of refined excellence. If Barney Bigard wants to slap his tongue against the reed and Stump Evans tries his luck with a soprano saxophone, well, good for them. It's all about having a good time. And this is good time music. arwulf arwulf  
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JELLY-ROLL MORTON – 1924-1926 | The Chronogical Classics – 599 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The best way to acquire Jelly Roll Morton's classic Victor recordings is on a five-CD set put out by Bluebird that includes all of the alternate takes. But listeners who do not care about alternates may find the Morton CDs in the European Classics series to be as satisfying. This particular CD actually starts off with 14 selections that predate the Victors. Several of the early selections (such as the first four numbers, which include cornetist Lee Collins and trombonist Roy Palmer and "Soap Suds") are a bit disappointing due to the low-level recording quality. However, "My Gal" does have some good clarinet work from the underrated Volly DeFaut, there are four superb piano solos (including "The Pearls" and the definitive solo version of "King Porter Stomp"), and blues singer Edmonia Henderson is excellent on "Dead Man Blues" and "Georgia Grind." Despite these highlights, it is the final nine numbers on this disc that are most memorable. Morton is heard with his finest group, a septet with cornetist George Mitchell, trombonist Kid Ory, and clarinetist Omer Simeon. In addition to Morton's piano playing, his arranging is innovative and very inventive for the time; listen to all of the different tone colors and instrumental combinations that he gets from the group on "Black Bottom Stomp." These versions of "The Chant," "Sidewalk Blues," "Dead Man Blues," and "Grandpa's Spells" are quite famous and "Someday Sweetheart" is an early example of jazz (including Omer Simeon, who reluctantly plays bass clarinet) with strings. Classic music. Scott Yanow  
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JELLY-ROLL MORTON – 1926-1928 | The Chronogical Classics – 612 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

While Louis Armstrong was cutting some of jazz's bedrock material, fellow New Orleans native and pianist Jelly Roll Morton was making equally fine, yet long overshadowed, recordings with his Red Hot Peppers combo. And it's his 1926-1927 sides for Victor, cut during a handful of sessions in New York, that form the pinnacle of his '20s heyday. This Classics disc, one of several of the label's chronological Morton titles, includes a good share of those standout tracks, but unfortunately excludes several essential numbers like "Sidewalk Blues," "Black Bottom Stomp," and "Grandpa's Spells" (Classics' earlier 1924-1926 release picks up the slack). While completist Morton fans will no doubt be drawn to this series, curious listeners in search of a well-balanced introduction should check out JSP's superior-sounding Vol. 1 collection. Stephen Cook
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JOHNNY DODDS – 1926 | The Chronogical Classics – 589 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Dodds was one of the very finest New Orleans clarinetists, and the only non-Creole among them. The peak experiences here, and some of the finest small-group recordings ever made, are the New Orleans Wanderers sessions -- Armstrong's Hot Five with George Mitchell instead of Armstrong. Also present are Freddie Keppard's only two recordings and a bunch of marginally lesser cuts that Dodds transmutes into gold. John Storm Roberts
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JIMMIE NOONE – 1923-1928 | The Classics Chronological Series – 604 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The material on Jimmie Noone's 1923-1928 is great; however, fans of New Orleans jazz should keep both eyes open in order not to get caught up in a web of duplication. In the end it would be insulting to downgrade the music itself simply because reissue companies more than half a century later insisted on stepping on each other's toes. The identical year that this release came out on the Classics imprint, the French EPM Musique line saw fit to put out many of the same tracks under the name of trumpeter Freddie Keppard. Both Keppard and Noone played in various bands led by Doc Cook, and it is these sessions by such groups as the Doc Cook Dreamland Orchestra that make up the bulk of both the Noone and Keppard collections. As if this wasn't confusing enough, the French company put out the material again in 1998 with a slightly different cover. Meanwhile the great Cook has yet to have his recipes brought to the table under his own name, but that's the music business for you. Noone created the balance of the material on the Classics set with his own Apex Orchestra, all told bringing the total number of different titles up to 23. It is a bit less material than on the French sides, which substitute the Noone bandleading efforts for tracks by the Erskine Tate Vendome Orchestra. Noone collectors will be thus forced into nabbing the Classics CD whether they have one or both of the other sets anyway, but hopefully should not be dissapointed by the lively, well-played music. In all cases it is a chance to experience a side of New Orleans jazz that has gotten much less play than the better-known small-combo styles. Eugene Chadbourne
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RICHARD M. JONES – 1923-1927 | The Classics Chronological Series – 826 (1995) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Richard M. Jones was more important as a talent scout and an organizer of bands than as a pianist. This Classics CD features Jones as a soloist on two numbers from 1923 ("Jazzin' Babies Blues" and "12th Street Rag"); with the Chicago Hottentots backing the mediocre singer Lillie Delk Christian; playing with Nelson's Paramount Serenaders and Hightower's Night Hawks; and leading his own Jazz Wizards. Among the other players are clarinetist Albert Nicholas, banjoist Johnny St. Cyr, cornetist Shirley Clay, and trombonist Preston Jackson. Although the music is generally not all that classic, this formerly rare material has its strong moments and gives one a good example of middle-of-the-road Chicago jazz of the mid-'20s. Scott Yanow
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