Hot Fives & Sevens, Vol. 3

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
By the time these recordings were made in 1927-28, Louis Armstrong had abandoned the darker sounding cornet in favor of the brasher, more brilliant tonality of the trumpet. The New Orleans ensemble effects so prominent in earlier Hot Five sessions were of secondary importance, as Armstrong's instrumental command ascended to dizzying heights. Pianist and soon-to-be ex-wife Lil Hardin's "Struttin with Some Barbecue" inspires the trumpeter to a soaring, brilliantly syncopated solo, while guitarist Lonnie Johnson's expressive blues playing inspires Louis to expressive new heights on "Hotter Than That" and "Savoy Blues." But it's the appearance of pianist Earl Hines on the June 27, 1928 recording session that marks a sea change in Armstrong's music. Here at last is an original thinker, with the chops, imagination, and daring to play with Louis at an Olympian level, beginning, appropriately enough, with their choruses on "Fireworks" and their dazzling exchanges on "Skip the Gutter." Hines' "A Monday Date" is a particular joy, from the humorous repartee (in which Louis tosses in a plug for his favorite local bootlegger) to Zutty Singleton's dancing spoons, to Hines's sprightly playing underneath Armstrong's vocals and the leader's punchy muted trumpet figures. --Chip Stern --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Tracks:

My Heart
Yes! I'm In The The Barrel
Gut Bucket Blues
Come Back, Sweet Papa
Georgia Grind
Heebie Jeebies
Comet Chop Suey
Oriental Strut
You're Next
Muskrat Ramble
Don't Forget To Mess Around
I'm Gonna Gitcha
Dropping Shucks
Who' Sit
He Likes It Slow
The King Of The Zulus
Big Fat Ma And Skinny Pa
Lonesome Blues
Sweet Little Papa
Jazz Lips
Skid-Dat-De-Dat
Big Butter And Egg Man From The West
Sunset Cafe Stomp
You Made Me Love You
Irish Black Bottom

Tracks:

Willie The Weeper
Wild Man Blues
Chicago Breakdown
Alligator Crawl
Potato Head Blues
Melancholy Blues
Weary Blues
Twelfth Street Rag
Keyhole Blues
S.O.L. Blues
Gully Low Blues
That's When I'll Come Back To You
Put 'Em Down Blues
Ory's Creole Trombone
The Last Time
Struttin' With Some Barbecue
Got No Blues
Once In A While
I'm Not Rough
Hotter Than That
Savoy Blues

Tracks:

Fireworks
Skip The Gutter
A Monday Date
Don't Jive Me
West End Blues
Sugar Foot Strut
Two Deuces
Squeeze Me
Knee Drops
Symphonic Raps
Savoyagers' Stomp
No (No, Papa, No)
Basin Street Blues
No-One Else But You
Beau Koo Jack
Save It, Pretty Mama
A Weather Bird
Muggles
A Heah Me Talkin' To Ya?
James Infirmary
Tight Like This
Knockin' A Jug

Tracks:

I Can't Give You Anything But Love - Louis Armstrong And His Savoy Ballroom Five
Mahogany Hall Stomp - Louis Armstrong And His Savoy Ballroom Five
Ain't Misbehavin' - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
(What Did I Do To Be So) Black And Blue? - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
That Rhythm Man - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
Sweet Savannah Sue - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
Some Of These Days - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
Some Of These Days - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
When You're Smiling - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
When You're Smiling - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
After You've Gone - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
I Ain't Got Nobody - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
Dallas Blues - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
St. Louis Blues - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
Rockin' Chair - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
A Song Of The Islands - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
Bessie Couldn't Help It - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
Blue, Turning Grey Over You - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
Dear Old Southland - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
Rockin' Chair - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
I Can't Give You Anything But Love - Louis Armstrong And His Savoy Ballroom Five

Amazon.com

Between 1925 and 1929, Louis Armstrong created one of the first great bodies of work in jazz. While he worked regularly as a soloist with big bands, he began his career as a leader with the first all-star studio group in jazz, the Hot Five. The other four musicians were Armstrong's wife, Lil Hardin Armstrong, on piano; Johnny Dodds on clarinet; Kid Ory on trombone; and Johnny St. Cyr on banjo. The music's first great soloist, Armstrong was reshaping jazz by sheer improvisational magic, gradually diminishing the role of the traditional New Orleans ensemble with the clarion brilliance of his trumpet. Possessing an uncanny blend of exuberance and creativity, he combined virtuosic declarations with a talent for the subtlest shifts in phrasing and melodic variation, creating rich emotional statements that could hint at loss in the midst of joy or the promise of better things in the most sorrowful blues. The band expands here, to the Hot Seven and larger ensembles, and it gains soloists who applied Armstrong's lessons to their own instruments--musicians such as pianist Earl Hines and trombonist Jack Teagarden--but all come under the imprint of Armstrong's flowering genius, as both trumpeter and singer.

It's almost impossible to overrate this material. It may be the most influential music in jazz history, establishing standards for originality and sustained invention that have rarely been matched. The JSP set is a superb reissue of Armstrong's essential work. The remastering is by John R.T. Davies, widely acknowledged as the dean of engineers in the field of early jazz, and the resultant sound is simply the best this work has ever enjoyed. There are alternate takes of the later material on Columbia Legacy (including Louis in New York and St. Louis Blues), so collectors will want both. But this recording is superior listening, at a price that also makes it an ideal introduction to one of the few titans of jazz. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

Don't touch the hiss!.......2007-03-10

If it was just the music I'm rating, it would of course get a million stars. However, the music is on a remastered CD. "Remastered" generally means getting your oldie jazz sounding as if it's being strangled in a can.
Granted the sound here is "clear" and the bass is a bit boosted. The acoustics, reverb, echo, life and air are however thrown out with the hiss.
Again, I've heard a lot worse than this. But generally, French jazz re-issues are better. Why? Because they leave the hiss!! The catch? The French CD's are either expensive or they contain fewer songs for your money than these cheapo boxed sets.

Music is cornerstone...but the sonics? Mixed feelings........2007-02-09

I'm not going to labor on the fact that this music is fantastic, cornerstone of jazz, indispensible, blah, blah, blah. We all already know that. I want to talk about the sonic quality of these recordings.

I read so much about this John RT Davies guy, who mastered this box set. I heard so many positive things about his skills, particularly in this boxed set, and how the sound is allegedly far superior to the Columbia version. I had to get BOTH to compare. I bought this JSP box set, and the newly revised 2006 edition of the Hot sessions released by Columbia/Legacy/Sony/BMG (the official edition).

The late John RT Davies, who mastered this JSP set is considered so good, that people on Amazon claimed that he mastered this collection from old 78s better than the engineers at Columbia, using the original masters (owned EXCLUSIVELY by Columbia.) Heck, RCA & Columbia thought he was good, as i've seen his name adorning very LEGAL pressings of all sorts of old jazz under the RCA & Columbia labels, right here in the U.S.A. So, he certainly had some clout, and some talent.

Unlike almost every reviewer on here, i do not consider the JSP box set to sound better than the official Columbia release (2006 version). However, i still think it sounds pretty good. There is something important to consider. While Davies is considered a true master at...well, remastering, his work at JSP comes up flawed, because he did not have access to the original masters, which are safely secured in Sony/Columbia/Legacy's vaults. He had to use old 78's (the kind you bought in the store) to make these new masters. So, while he may have picked 78's that were better preserved, and had seen less action, he was still using the next generation of recordings.

When you master from the originals over and over and over again, you tend to add all kinds of artificial pops, clicks, hisses, and such into the original disc (Bing Crosby had to re-record White Christmas in 1947, because the original 1942 recording was pressed so many times, it sounded horrible). Therefore, if you use a pretty clean 78, you can avoid much of that, and come out with a cleaner master to make into a CD. When you add some digital noise removal systems (essentially computer programs), you make them even cleaner, and if done right, still not sacrifice the integrity of the music.

Sounds pretty cut and dry right? The 78's should sound better then, right? Why wouldn't Columbia re-master their collection from old 78's as well? A very important reason, actually. When you copy old 78's, instead of the original pressings, you move at least one generation away from the original performance. Everytime you make a copy of a copy, the sound gets muddier, with less distinction and more distortion. Certainly, with skill and technology, it can be minimalized, but the fact remains.

Soooooooo.......my analysis? The JSP set sounds a tad smoother, with less pops. The bass is a little deeper too, however a bit muddier (slightly distorted). The Columbia set from 2006 DOES have a bit more scratchiness, and the bass is not quite as deep. However, the sound is CLEANER, and...my favorite descriptive word in this whole review...more TRANSPARENT. That's right. Every instrument in the Columbia set is more distinct from all the other instruments. The sound feels light, airy, and alive. The JSP set, while more smooth doesn't have that clarity of the original recordings. They sound more like...well, records.

So, which is better? There's no really correct answer. It's a matter of taste. For ME, the Columbia set wins, hands down. I'm 31 years old. For most of my musical life, i grew up listening to CDs. However, many people have fond memories of what their old collection of vintage records sound like. What you hear on records that you don't hear on CD's is distortion. It's slight, but it's certainly there. Technically, CDs are cleaner, and more accurate representations of the actual music than records ever were. But people have aural memories, and THAT'S the sound they want to hear. It's a very natural, and totally unconscious reaction. We like what we know. Everytime i buy better speakers, amps, etc., i always miss the sound of my old, inferior equipment...for a little while. Then as i use it, my ears adjust to the new sound, and i ADORE it. Anytime i've tried going back to the OLD set-up after that, i had a much stronger negative reaction than i did when going UP in quality. My ears became adjusted to what's better.

So, here's my recommendation:

If you don't have those fond memories of old vinyl or shellac discs, and grew up on CDs, then the Columbia set is 150% better. The sound is cleaner, tighter, more distinct instrumentally, and contains less distortion. You get music that's closer to reality. The drawback of course, is you will hear a bit more crackle, and a tad less bass.

If you DO have those fond memories of the big black discs, and you remember the warm, rounded sound that made you feel like cuddling up in a blanket with a cup of cocoa & a wish on a star, then you really need to get this set. If you also happen to listen to rap in your Escalade, and you like to hear the bass completely distorting, but you think you wanna try some early Satchmo, then you NEED this set. Don't even think about buying the Columbia version. Just remember, while it is smoother, it is also further away from the original performance, so the sound is muddier and less distinct.

I've compared nearly every track on both sets. They both sound pretty good in their own ways. By all means, this IS a set worth owning...for some people. You just have to decide what kind of person you are.

The Definitive Hot Fives & Sevens: Just Perfect!.......2006-12-23

When Louis Armstrong's "Hot Five & Sevens" first came out on CD, I did not hesitate to jump up and purchase these magnificent CD'S. Yes, they were crude and did not have that clear sound that this JSP issue had, but I was so enamored with Armstrong's early greatness, that I jumped up and purchased them. I don't regret it, even if the sound was nowhere near these great recordings. However, after I purchased this boxed set of Armstrong's classic "Hot Fives & Sevens," I never listened to them again. I gave them to a friend who was interested in jazz, but not really sure he liked early jazz. This boxed collection is what I now listen to. There is nothing more I can add as to how GREAT the sound quality is on these terrific recordings. They are just awesome.

I listened to this music when I was a kid, courtesy of my parents, but I never really appreciated just how great Louis Armstrong was until I became an adult. I liked him, but now I love his sound. And as for the earlier issues on CD of this outstanding work by Armstrong, well this is the set to have. I recommend that if you are seeking the best issue out there of the "Hot Fives & Sevens," then purchase this boxed set. It it far superior to any other I have ever heard. There have been some great reviews on this particular CD, and I really don't think there is anything more I can add. However, do youself a favor and listen to these remarkable recordings. They are a must have not only if you are into jazz, but if you like beautiful music period. I like ALL types of music. There are very few genre's of music I do not like, or can listen to. However, I have a special place in my heart [and ears] for music in the 1920s and early 1930s. And this IS music! Highly recommended!

Brilliant!.......2006-12-17

Louis Armstrong and his "Hot Five and Seven" are just brilliant! I resisted buying this set of CDs for years because I felt the quality of music recorded in the 20s was very low. Of course, a jazz collection without these recordings is like the Sistine Chapel without Michelangelo's frescos. JSP Records did a marvelous job of digitally remastering these inspired recordings...no scratching or popping and very little hissing. I can add little to what has already been said about these very reasonably priced discs.

THE COMPLETE HOT FIVES & SEVENS.......2006-11-11

IT DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS-ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT BODIES OF WORK IN EARLY JAZZ AT A GREAT PRICE, JSP RECORDS OUT OF GREAT BRITAIN HAS DONE IT AGAIN, BRINGING TOGETHER ALL 89 OF LOUIS ARMSTRONG'S HOT FIVES & SEVENS RECORDINGS IN A 4 CD BOX. THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER BOXED SETS OF THIS MUSIC, BUT THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST, AS IT HAS BEEN PAINSTAKINGLY REMASTERED BY RENOWNED JAZZ HISTORIAN JOHN R.T. DAVIES.

Average customer rating:

Timeless and Priceless
First Louis Amstrong CD
The best Satchmo era
The one to get if you can't spring for one of the boxes!
Jazz Immortality!

25 Greatest Hot Fives & Sevens
Louis Armstrong
Manufacturer: Asv Living Era
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music

Classic Vocalists | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Broadway & Vocalists | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Traditional Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Traditional & Vocal Pop | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Mingus Ah Um
The Best of Early Basie
Somethin' Else
A Love Supreme
Moanin'

ASIN: B000001HIS
Release Date: 1995-09-19

Tracks:

Heebie Jeebies
Cornet Chop Suey
Muskrat Ramble
Jazz Lips
Skid - Dat - De - Dat
Big Butter Egg Man
Willie The Weeper
Wild Man Blues
Alligator Crawl
Potato Head Blues
Melancholy Blues
Weary Blues
Struttin' With Some Barbecue
Once In A While
I'm Not Rough
Hotter Than That
Savoy Blues
Skip The Gutter
West End Blues
Basin Street Blues
Beau Koo Jack
Weather Bird
Muggles
St. James Infirmary
Tight Like This

Amazon.com

This collection bulges with the hottest and most dazzling jazz of the 1920s, with Armstrong dragging his lesser colleagues along with him in a whirlwind of inspiration. How a young man from the rugged and unbending background of downtown New Orleans could learn to play such sophisticated, sure-footed magic will never be known. He pops up to astonish on the 1926 tracks with classic ideas already spouting from his horn. Over the next three years, he would metamorphose into the sublime creator of the trumpet solo on the last track, "Tight Like This," one of the most dramatic and enchanting solos in the whole of jazz. Before that are fresh-as-a-daisy cornet acrobatics, as found on "Potato Head Blues" and "Struttin' with Some Barbecue." There's more exquisite playing on "Savoy Blues," where Lonnie Johnson adds some eloquent guitar. And then there's "West End Blues," the trumpet classic par excellence that brings in pianist Earl Hines, already a decade ahead of his time and one of the most potent influences on Armstrong. This is a thoroughly enjoyable history lesson. --Steve Voce

Customer Reviews:

Timeless and Priceless.......2006-08-19

This collection of 25 performances by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Fives, Hot Sevens, and other bands is as timeless as it is priceless. These early (1926-1928) recordings reveal Armstrong's genius in creating dixieland jazz as an art form. The gem of the collection is his profoundly moving 1928 performance of "West End Blues," which alone is worth the cost of the CD. But the other performances are equally astonishing for their creativity and verve. Sound quality is exceptionally good. Here are 75 minutes of the greatest jazz music you'll ever hear.

First Louis Amstrong CD.......2006-03-04

If you are going to buy only one CD from Amstrong, this is the one I suggest.

The best Satchmo era.......2005-08-21

A complete selection of the best era of Louis (The hot five and the hot Seven ensembles). Memorable songs are included here: "Cornet chop suey", "Willy the weeper", "Potato head blues", and "Weary blues". The price is even better than the box set.

The one to get if you can't spring for one of the boxes!.......2001-03-29

If you're looking for the best single-disc collection of this incredible legacy, you've come to the right place. Everyone with even a slight interest in jazz (oh heck, make that EVERYONE, period!) needs to hear this music in some form!

But for many people, four discs may be overkill. This collection includes virtually all the mega-classics - Heebie Jeebies, Ski-Dat-Di-Dat, Mustrat Ramble, Struttin' With Some Barbecue, Potato Head Blues, Big Butter and Egg Man, Weather Bird, West End Blues, St. James Infrimary, the UTTERLY AMAZING Tight Like This, and more - and should make nearly anyone into a convert!

As for me, I already have the old 3-LP Columbia set (36 cuts), and there's very little from those that aren't on here that I miss (e.g., That's When I'll Come Back To You). And the convenience of having it on CD is well worth any duplications. The sound quality (given the original 20s recordings) and liner notes are excellent. This is an essential CD... unless you just decide to go whole hog and get one of the box sets!

"And I say IT IS tight like this!"

Jazz Immortality!.......2001-01-12

Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings have become immortal in the history of jazz. If you can't afford the complete boxed sets, this is the best collection to own. It will get you started and wet your appetite for more this man's groundbreaking genius. "West End Blues" alone is worth the price of this disc. No "best of" collection is really that without this renowned masterpiece. "Weather Bird" (also composed by his old boss King Oliver) can blow you away. And that's just to mention two of the cuts. This is the man who created much of the very vocabulary of jazz, and no one has ever said it better.

West End Blues: The Very Best of the Hot Fives & Sevens

Average customer rating:

Disappointed

West End Blues: The Very Best of the Hot Fives & Sevens
Louis Armstrong
Manufacturer: Music Club Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Blues | Styles | Music

Traditional Blues | Blues | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans & Dixieland Jazz | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music

Dixieland | Jazz | Styles | Music

Blues | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

A Love Supreme
Kind of Blue

ASIN: B00004TDHT
Release Date: 2000-06-12

Tracks:

West End Blues
Fireworks
Potato Head Blues
Heebie Jeebies
Twelfth Street Rag
Alligator Crawl
Cornet Chop Suey
Two Deuces
Last Time
Muskrat Ramble
Big Butter and Egg Man
Rockin' Chair
Hotter Than That
I Can't Give You Anything But Love
Skid-Dat-De-Dat

Album Description

West End Blues consists of 20 legendary jazz tracks by the trumpet maestro and his band. Tracks include 'West End Blues', 'Fireworks', 'Potato Head Blues' and 'Heebie Jeebies'. Highly collectable compilation at a great price. Extensive sleevenotes and over an hour of music. Music Club.

Album Details

Very Best of the Hot Fives and Sevens. 20 Tracks all Together.

Customer Reviews:

Disappointed.......2007-03-21

Only 1/3 of the 24 track listings shown for this CD are correct. The CD and liner notes include only 8 of the tracks listed plus 12 others, for a total of 20 tracks on this CD.

Average customer rating:

Pure Joy
The Master Comes Of Age

Hot Fives & Hot Sevens, Vol. 2
Louis Armstrong
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans & Dixieland Jazz | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music

Dixieland | Jazz | Styles | Music

Classic Vocalists | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Volume 1: Hot Fives
Louis Armstrong Collection, Vol. 7: You're Driving Me Crazy

ASIN: B0000026JY
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Lonesome Blues
Sweet Little Papa
Jazz Lips
Skid-Dat-De-Dat
Big Butter And Egg Man
Sunset Cafe Stomp
You Made Me Love You
Irish Black Bottom
Willie The Weeper
Wild Man Blues
Alligator Crawl
Potato Head Blues
Melancholy
Weary Blues
Twelfth Street Rag
Keyhole Blues

Amazon.com essential recording

Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens existed only as recording bands, with the members working regularly in other groups, but they created music that will endure as long as people listen to jazz. The sessions on volume 2 of the Columbia series come from 1926 and 1927, with the first eight tracks continuing the work of the Hot Five and the final eight showing the beginnings of the expanded Hot Seven. The varied sessions demonstrate Armstrong's broadening confidence and musical invention, ranging from the clarion trumpet of "Wild Man Blues" to the bawdy vocal on "Big Butter and Egg Man." Raucous but well arranged, this is cornerstone ensemble music with enormous energy and bright, spirited blasts. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

Pure Joy.......2002-12-08

These historically significant cuts are so wonderful to listen to and some of the more classic numbers contain the best blowing Pops ever did. Here he is as a young man bursting on the scene and turning the music world upside down. Great stuff..Potato Head Blues of course is an essental recording but there is much more on this CD. This series is an excellent overview of Louis Armstrong's career and evolution as a musician. Well worth checking out.

The Master Comes Of Age.......2001-12-29

Like its earlier Volume 1,this CD is classic prime jazz from start to finish;I don't know if you read my review of Volume 1 but what I said there still stands,and then some! Screw the low-fi sound,there is no jazz lover who can afford to be without THIS disc,-just listen to Satch's stop-time breaks on "Potato Head Blues" and his ripping glissando on "Wild Man Blues" and if this isnt enough check out "Willie The Weeper" for an interactive primer on New Orleans polyphony as practiced by a master.Again,if youre going to mince about sound quality you might be better off making your own records! THIS is definitely a desert-island must-have!!!

Average customer rating:

Truly an Essential!
The Crown Prince Grows Up
Fun fun FUN!
VERY ESSENTIAl
Louis Armstrong The Hot Fives

Volume 1: Hot Fives
Louis Armstrong
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans & Dixieland Jazz | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music

Dixieland | Jazz | Styles | Music

Classic Vocalists | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Louis Armstrong Collection, Vol. 7: You're Driving Me Crazy

ASIN: B0000026I1
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

My Heart
(Yes) I'm In The Barrel
Gut Bucket Blues
Come Back, Sweet Papa
Georgia Grind
Heebie Jeebies
Cornet Chop Suey
Oriental Strut
You're Next
Muskrat Ramble
Don't Forget To Mess Around
I'm Gonna Gitcha
Droppin' Shucks
Who' Sit
King Of The Zulus
Big Fat Ma And Skinny Pa

Amazon.com essential recording

Fact: Some seventy years ago, Louis Armstrong was bigger than the Beatles. Fact: Louis' record sales provided the seed money for some of today's great communications empires. Fact: Pops' startling trumpet prowess and ingratiating vocals transformed the phrasing of every instrumentalist and vocalist on earth--and these are the sessions that started it all. Having performed as the second cornet with spiritual father Joe "King" Oliver's legendary New Orleans band, he turned everybody's head in New York during his stint with Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra in 1924. Then at wife Lil Hardin's insistence, he returned to Chicago in 1925, which led to the first of his supersessions for the Okeh label--fronting an all-star band assembled just for the studio. Even amid the traditional New Orleans polyphony and ensemble work of "Gut Bucket Blues," the sheer power of Armstrong's cornet pulls along the rest of the band like a locomotive (and in setting the infectious closing riff, he not only anticipates the swing era but Dizzy Gillespie's "Salt Peanuts"). By the time we get to the 1926 sessions, featuring his innovative "scat singing" on "Heebie Jeebies" and his dynamic stop-time phrases on "Cornet Chop Suey," Louis Armstrong is well on his way to transforming jazz into a soloist's art, and himself into the most influential musician of the 20th century. --Chip Stern

Customer Reviews:

Truly an Essential!.......2003-02-27

Get over the bad sound quality and you're going to love this album. This is Louis at his best. I prefer his earlier works to his later ones because they seem more lively, but that is just my opinion. Even if you like later works better, there's still no reason you shouldn't buy this album. Its got the first good scat recording on "Heebie Jeebies", which is a riot to listen to, and a host of other hilarious songs. Not a very serious, heartfelt album, but that's why I love it. If you have a preconceived image of Louie as singing only loving soft jazz songs such as "What a Wonderful World", I suggest you listen to this album, because it has nothing like that. What it does have is wild dance songs such as "Oriental Strut" and one crazy tune with Jamaican voice-overs, "King of the Zulus". A truly wonderful album and an essential for all lovers of early jazz.

The Crown Prince Grows Up.......2001-12-29

This superb set captures Armstrong at a critical point in his artistic evolution,-having served his apprenticeship in King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band in 1923,he first lit a fire at the trumpet chair in Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra the following year and then he played and recorded with small combos with the likes of Sidney Bechet and Clarence Williams and now in 1925 he leads his own combo of all-stars.There is nothing negative to be said about this CD,unless you wish to quibble over the sound,which is low-fi compared to more recent releases in box sets but I much prefer the warmer,rounder tone of this CD;in a similar vein,there is nothing negative to say about the MUSIC on this CD either - this is prime classic jazz at its very finest,from the polyphonic brilliance of "My Heart" to the darting playfulness of "Big Fat Ma And Skinny Pa" and "King Of The Zulus",here was a major musical genius just beginning to stretch his legs.An essential buy,darn the sound quality its perfectly great sounding on my player!

Fun fun FUN!.......2001-07-18

Yeah, audiophiles won't dig the sound (hey, this was the 20s, remember?). But if you get past that, this CD is full of FUN! "Heebie Jeebies" was quite influential in it's day, today it's a good way to make you smile. "Big Fat Ma and Skinny Pa" sounds like the soundtrack to a late 20s-early 30s cartoon. One can easily imagine the goings-on that this tune desribes (as is also the case with "Georgia Grind." Satch's first recorded vocal, "Gut Bucket Blues" where he enthusiastically cheers his comrades on, reminds you of the "shout outs" on modern rap songs. "You're Next" is an uncharacteristically moody piece from this era, with an interesting classical piano intro from Lil Armstrong. So DAMN the poor sound. Imagine that grandpa and grandma are crankin' up the old victrola and have a ball!

VERY ESSENTIAl.......2000-05-10

LOuis Armstrong is a Great Talent.One Of The Best That The Music World Has Ever Known.The Music Here is very Essential.MR.ARMSTRONG IS ONE OF MUSIC'S GREATEST INSTRUMENTS.

Louis Armstrong The Hot Fives.......2000-03-04

This disc contains analog material recorded in the '20s and digitally remastered onto CD format. The sound on the disc is akin, nonetheless, to listening to an old RCA Victrola - it is atrocious, unlistenable. I am amazed at the positive customer reviews that led me astray. This will not stop me from buying other Armstrong discs, but "The Hot Fives" remastered by Columbia Jazz Masterpieces was put in the used CD bin the day I received it. I strongly recommend trying other discs unless sound quality is of no importance.

Average customer rating:

The Great Turning Point

Hot Fives & Sevens, Vol. 3
Louis Armstrong
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans & Dixieland Jazz | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music

Dixieland | Jazz | Styles | Music

Classic Vocalists | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Musicals | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Volume 1: Hot Fives

ASIN: B0000026MT
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

S.O.L. Blues
Gully Low Blues
That's When I'll Come Back To You
Put 'Em Down Blues
Ory's Creole Trombone
The Last Time
Struttin' With Some Barbecue
Got No Blues
Once In A While
I'm Not Rough
Hotter Than That
Savoy Blues
Fireworks
Skip The Gutter
A Monday Date
Don't Jive Me

Amazon.com

By the time these recordings were made in 1927-28, Louis Armstrong had abandoned the darker sounding cornet in favor of the brasher, more brilliant tonality of the trumpet. The New Orleans ensemble effects so prominent in earlier Hot Five sessions were of secondary importance, as Armstrong's instrumental command ascended to dizzying heights. Pianist and soon-to-be ex-wife Lil Hardin's "Struttin with Some Barbecue" inspires the trumpeter to a soaring, brilliantly syncopated solo, while guitarist Lonnie Johnson's expressive blues playing inspires Louis to expressive new heights on "Hotter Than That" and "Savoy Blues." But it's the appearance of pianist Earl Hines on the June 27, 1928 recording session that marks a sea change in Armstrong's music. Here at last is an original thinker, with the chops, imagination, and daring to play with Louis at an Olympian level, beginning, appropriately enough, with their choruses on "Fireworks" and their dazzling exchanges on "Skip the Gutter." Hines' "A Monday Date" is a particular joy, from the humorous repartee (in which Louis tosses in a plug for his favorite local bootlegger) to Zutty Singleton's dancing spoons, to Hines's sprightly playing underneath Armstrong's vocals and the leader's punchy muted trumpet figures. --Chip Stern

Customer Reviews:

The Great Turning Point.......2001-12-29

Like its two companion Volumes 1 and 2,this set follows the rapid evolution of Armstrong here in 1927-1928;the earlier part of this CD features the latter days of the original Hot 7 with "Struttin' With Some Barbeque" and "Ory's Creole Trombone" as stellar standouts,but it is first Armstrongs collaboration with early guitar ace Lonnie Johnson and thereafter the first sides with pianist Earl Hines that underscores the importance of collective chemistry in jazz,-both men are first-class musical minds and both push Armstrong on to previously unattained heights,-the call-and-response scat singing and guitar riffs of "Savoy Blues" are even surpassed by the almost symphonic complexity of the teamwork with Hines on "Fireworks". The low-fi sound (Which again I prefer to more recent reissues) cannot keep you away from the greatness of the jazz on this CD.If you already have Volumes 1 and 2 then GET THIS ONE!!!

Average customer rating:

Treasures for all Time
How it all started.

Hot Fives & Hot Sevens
Louis Armstrong
Manufacturer: Jazzterdays Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans & Dixieland Jazz | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music

Dixieland | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Traditional Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000005MVP
Release Date: 1996-05-21

Tracks:

Willie The Weeper
Wild Man Blues
Alligator Crawl
Potato Head Blues
Melancholy
Weary Blues
Twelfth Street Rag
Keyhole Blues
S.O.L. Blues
Gully Low Blues
That's When I'll Come Back To You
Put 'Em Down Blues
Ory's Creole Trombone
The Last Time
Struttin' With Some Barbecue
Got No Blues
Once In A While
Hotter Than That
Savoy Blues
Fireworks
Skip The Gutter
A Monday Date

Customer Reviews:

Treasures for all Time.......2005-12-23

Infectous, Joyous, Competent, Timeless!
Coupled with an ability to give the listener a
rewarding experience each and every time - is
there any doubt that 'real' music has these
traits as its constituants? These are sizzling,
melodious musical aromas for the heart and soul.

I am a jazz novice - and I may be staying that way.
I've heard a fair amount of contemporary jazz, but
nothing has ever hooked me. I didn't see what the
fuss about jazz was. I may never know. But if there
is such a thing as 'archtypical' jazz, I don't doubt
that this is it. This music has that glow, that instant
appeal, which offered me, someone who was disinterested
in jazz, a way 'in.' Thank you Mr. Armstrong and your Hot
Five and Sevens!!! We may live in the 'new millinium',
but some of us have kept our ears on the continuous
roar of the 1920s.

How it all started........1999-05-14

Man, oh man. Most people tend to think of Louis Armstrong as a nice old man with a gravelly voice who sang "Hello, Dolly" and "What a Wonderful World." Louis Armstrong CREATED jazz, and these recordings show how he did it. They are utterly revolutionary. Even today they are astonishing in their virtuosity. Listening to this makes you wonder how somebody like Kenny G even has a career...

Average customer rating:

A True Desert Island Disc!!
Beautiful, baby!

Hot Fives & Sevens, Vol. 3
Louis Armstrong
Manufacturer: Jsp Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans & Dixieland Jazz | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music

Dixieland | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000006O1W
Release Date: 1998-06-09

Tracks:

Fireworks
Skip The Gutter
A Monday Date
Don't Jive Me
West End Blues
Sugar Foot Strut
Two Deuces
Squeeze Me
Knee Drops
Symphonic Raps
Savoyagers' Stomp
No (No, Papa, No)
Basin Street Blues
No-One Else But You
Beau Koo Jack
Save It, Pretty Mama
A Weather Bird
Muggles
A Heah Me Talkin' To Ya?
James Infirmary
Tight Like This
Knockin' A Jug

Customer Reviews:

A True Desert Island Disc!!.......2001-03-03

Of the 100s of rock, jazz and classical CDs in my collection, this is probably my favorite on most days. It's part of the JSP boxed set and is the best of the set--although the rest is pretty great as well (especially vol. 2). I can't imagine anyone who has listened to this a couple of times not falling in love with it for life. This disc is a must have in any collection.

Beautiful, baby!.......2001-02-16

At this time in his career, Satch began to play with musicians more worthy of his incredible talent. These are incomparably good performances.

Tracks:

My Heart
I'm In The Barrel
Gut Bucket Blues
Come Back, Sweet Papa
Georgia Grind
Heebie Jeebies
Cornet Chop Suey
Oriental Strut
You're Next
Muskrat Ramble
Don't Forget To Mess Around
I'm Gonna Gitcha
Droppin' Shucks
Who'Sit
King Of The Zulus
Big Fat Ma And Skinny Pa
Lonesome Blues
Sweet Little Papa
Jazz Lips
Skid-Dat-De-Dat
Big Butter And Egg Man
Sunset Cafe Stomp
You Made Me Love You
Irish Black Bottom

Amazon.com

It's no exaggeration to say that Louis Armstrong recreated jazz in his own image, taking a collectively improvised music and remaking it into one in which the virtuoso soloist dominated. He did it by sheer invention and musical superiority, and he did it in the midst of the finest polyphonic players that New Orleans music had produced. The beginnings of it can be heard in these 1925-26 recordings by the superb Hot Five, a band made up of clarinetist Johnny Dodds, trombonist Kid Ory, pianist Lil Hardin Armstrong, and banjoist Johnny St. Cyr. Armstrong was with the players he knew best, and the music is relaxed and lustrous, ranging from the beautiful cornet feature "Cornet Chop Suey" to the convivial "Gut Bucket Blues" and the first recording of Ory's "Muskrat Ramble." The summit of the New Orleans style and the dawn of the next phase in jazz, this is an essential CD for any jazz listener, not just for traditionalists. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews:

This is breakthrough jazz........1998-10-07

When I first listened to this album, I thought it was all instrumental, then I came to song 6 and 7. I forget what the titles are, but both of them include Louis Armstrong's young voice that sounds ancient. The sound quality of the music is not good, but considering that it is over 70 years old it is superb. The thing I emphasize is the singing, Louis Armstrong's crazy voice just takes me away, man. No doubt. The music is terrific and it has remained in my CD player for about two weeks, and it seems like I'll never take it out. I love the music, and the music proves that Louis was strongest before he recorded Blueberry Hill. Any jazz fan needs this recording in order to understand what has transpired in the evolution of jazz. Albums like this make me want to listen to music. They've even got a banjo!!!!!

Average customer rating:

Great music, great sound

Hot Fives & Sevens, Vol. 4
Louis Armstrong
Manufacturer: Jsp Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Jazz General | Traditional Jazz & Ragtime | Jazz | Styles | Music

New Orleans & Dixieland Jazz | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music

Dixieland | Jazz | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music

Traditional Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000006O1X
Release Date: 1998-06-09

Tracks:

I Can't Give You Anything But Love - Louis Armstrong And His Savoy Ballroom Five
Mahogany Hall Stomp
Ain't Misbehavin'
(What Did I Do To Be So) Black And Blue?
That Rhythm Man
Sweet Savannah Sue
Some Of These Days
Some Of These Days
When You're Smiling
When You're Smiling
After You've Gone
I Ain't Got Nobody
Dallas Blues
St. Louis Blues
Rockin' Chair
A Song Of The Islands
Bessie Couldn't Help It
Blue, Turning Grey Over You
Dear Old Southland
Rockin' Chair
I Can't Give You Anything But Love

Customer Reviews:

Great music, great sound.......2001-01-15

JSP's remastering of these 1920's tracks is terrific! Liner notes include master numbers, personnel, and dates. Tip : Spring for the JSP box set "Hot Fives and Sevens", which is all four volumes in this series in a slip-case at less than half the price of the individual parts.

Music:

Music

Music