Ah, my submission! (Well, my Patreon submission at least) By far the biggest snub on the original list was the lack of Louis Armstrong, in my opinion. No other artist has come close to the sheer amount of influence upon popular music as he had, even if the roots of the influence now go so far back that they can seem completely buried. He was 20th century's first musical star, and with the advent of radio and vinyl records, he pressed himself into the public identity like no other could. His soloing and singing styles practically rewrote the book on how jazz was made, especially when he began incorporating and reinventing classic American Songbook tunes that are now more famous as jazz standards BECAUSE of him. I chose this record to showcase Louis Armstrong's most fundamental early days. His Hot Fives and Hot Sevens groups truly showcase what a master trumpet player he was. I chose the "best of" recording for brevity's sake (and because these recordings predate the invention of the LP record that most of the list is based on, primarily being released in much shorter formats). However, if you enjoy this, please listen to the complete recordings from these groups. It's a veritable treasure trove.
The Best of The Hot 5 & Hot 7 Recordings
Louis Armstrong
2000
- Album Summary
This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.
Hot Fives & Sevens is a 2000 box set collection of recordings made by American jazz trumpeter and singer Louis Armstrong with his Hot Five, Hot Seven, and other groups between 1925 and 1930. A four-disc compilation, the set has received a "crown" as an author's pick in The Penguin Guide to Jazz and is also included in the book's "core collection" recommended for jazz fans. Allmusic concurs that it is "beyond indispensable", suggesting that "you can't have a Louis Armstrong collection without this historic set" or "any kind of respectable jazz collection". The box set consists of four compact discs. The first and second discs, and part of the third, comprise the Hot Five and Hot Seven recording sessions from 1925 through 1928. The third and fourth discs compile tracks recorded by Carroll Dickerson's Savoyagers, Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra, and Louis Armstrong and His Savoy Ballroom Five (with Earl Hines) between 1928 and 1930.
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!Oh it's tight like that Louis. No it ain't tight like that either. What a baller. Dude was straight killing it in the 20s-30s. Some awesome playing all around.
Great call to include this
Wtf there was no Louis Armstrong on the main list. For that alone this is a 5* to represent him in general, although this compilation is pretty nice.
What is now foundational was once revolutionary.
Reminds me of when I got a bar trivia question wrong for answering that Louis Armstrong played the trumpet. They thought he played the piano. Later that night, my team won a round when the emcee got the math wrong on a tiebreaker. We got free dessert, but what the fuck? 8/10
Ok, so a nod to the beginning of modern music? Of course, why not. A big name, sometimes overlooked
Given the date range, I understand why Louis didn't make a real appearance on the original list, but it still feels like a crucial snub. Excellent timeless addition.
Très bon, mais ca semble être un best of. c'est normal que ca soit excellent surtout provenant d'une légende. Cependant ce n'Est pas un album a proprement dit donc... 4.5
Classic. Normally not a fan of compilation albums - I prefer to think of an album as an artist's vision at a particular time - but times were different back in the day so I can make an exception. I'm also not a big jazz-head, but I can totally appreciate and enjoy this. 4 stars.
What's there to say, really: it's iconic for a reason. Peerless in its style and genre.
King Louis don't stop. Glad to have learned the origin of the term "muggles" thanks to this album.
5 Love this shid
Even in compilation delivers in breadth. Harmony's the main thing transferred: Foundation. No shape in the sequencing, but the very beginning of jazz was hardly provincial, that's clear.
8/10. Yep, pretty good stuff, always fun listening to older stuff
This is that good mood food jazz
eh, this was kinda fun. neither here nor there. 3/5.
Dixieland swing isn't my jam, I'd much rather listen to Be Bop and Hard Bop, but Louis Armstrong's influence on jazz and hell, all modern genres of music is undeniable.
Not much my style, but respect. Good music
I am truly sorry, but there are boundaries in what I like in music. And this is just not it.
5 minutes - This is quite enjoyable 10 minutes - Okay I get it. You can play the trumpet. 30 minutes - I want to shove that trumpet right up your fucking arse.
I am aware that if I say this I will come off as a spoiled brad, unworthy of calling myself a music-lover, but I'm gonna say it anyway: This was just aweful. I recon that in the 20's this must have been groundbreaking, leaving everyone who heard Armstrong play in awe. But when I hear this, my musically narrow minded brain can't get past the image of Laurel & Hardy goofing around. This one just isn't for me, sorry.
I can only echo what others have said here in that it's an absolute crime there was no Armstrong on the official list – really highlights the UK bias of the project that a fundamental jazz great was excluded in place of several flash-in-the-pan Britpop bands. Nearly an hour of oldies was a bit longer than I would've liked to listen, but there's no denying the masterclass Armstrong puts on here.