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Hot Five
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
The Hot Five was the first band with which trumpeter Louis Armstrong recorded under his own name. The group came into being in 1925 in Chicago at the suggestion of Richard M. Jones of the Okeh label, and all the records were made in Okeh's studio. It was mainly a studio band: as the Hot Five the group performed live only twice. The first line-up consisted of Armstrong's wife Lil Hardin Armstrong on piano and three New Orleans musicians he already knew: Kid Ory on trombone, Johnny Dodds on clarinet and Johnny St. Cyr on banjo and guitar.
Music and breakthrough
In November 1925 the first tracks were recorded, including Gut Bucket Blues. In 1926 came Cornet Chop Suey, Muskrat Ramble and Heebie Jeebies, with Armstrong's famous scat singing, which made him a well-known name in Chicago. At the end of 1927 came Struttin' with Some Barbecue and Hotter Than That. In 1928 Armstrong replaced all the other musicians with members of Carroll Dickerson's orchestra, including pianist Earl Hines. This second Hot Five played more written-out arrangements and recorded West End Blues and Weather Bird, among others.
Influence
The Hot Five played in the line-up of an ordinary New Orleans band: trumpet, clarinet and trombone with a rhythm section. In that style the horns played the melody together in collective improvisation. With the Hot Five the trumpet increasingly got room for a solo. In those solos Armstrong laid the foundation for the language of jazz improvisation, and with that the centre of gravity of the group shifted to the soloist.
Listening
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 1: The Origins of Pop MusicNL Reader
- After Hours: Session 1NL Reader
- Magazine: Van Bessie tot EllaNL Magazine
Mentioned in other articles
- Chicago jazz Genre
Between 1925 and 1928 Armstrong made studio recordings with his Hot Five and Hot Seven in which the solo became more important than the ensemble playing.