ArtistInfo

Louis Armstrong
Volume 1

Compil. FR 1954 on Monkey Records label
Jazz (Swing, Dixieland)

During the summer of 1922, Louis Armstrong received a telegram from King Oliver offering him the position of second cornet in his orchestra. Louis left New Orleans for "Dreamland" - a Chicago dance hall. It was with "King Oliver and His Creole Jazz Band" that, on April 6, 1923, he waxed his first records, on that very occasion giving his first solo ; "Chimes Blues". At this time Louis was playing with Lousiana musicians like the Dodds brothers and Johnny St-Cyr, with whom he had played on the Riverboats for several years and who were later to become part of his famous "Hot Five" and "Hot Seven". In 1924, at the instigation of his wife (pianist Lil Hardin Armstrong), he left King Oliver to join drummer Ollie Power's Orchestra, replacing another great New Orleans trumpeter : Tommy Ladnier. As he was alone in the trumpet section, it was during his stay with this band that he really began to become such a soloist that he started to shake off King's Oliver's influence. Fletcher Henderson heard him, and invited him to join his band ; he opened at the "Roseland", New York, on September 1924 - It was then that he made his first small combo recordings with the "Red Onion Jazz Babiees" - a group which included Buster Bailey or Sideny Bechet on reeds. Louis also began to make numerous records with the greatest blues singers of the time, like Bessie, Mamie and Trixie Smith, Ma Rainey and Alberta Hunter. He was then 24 and already known as the first and the greatest soloist in the Jazz History. The following part is world-wide known : Louis became the symbol of Jazz. He's gone now, but his music will ever live as fresh as it was when he played it. C1 recorded in Ritchmond, Ind., April 6, 1923. A1 recorded in Chicago, December 24, 1923. A2 and C2 recorded in New York, October 16, 1924. A3 and C3 recorded in New York, February, 1925. A4, C4 and C5 recorded inNew York, November 26, 1924. A5 recorded in New York, November 8, 1924. A6 recorded in New York, November 10, 1924. C6 recorded in New York, January 12, 1925. B1-B5 and D1-D5 recorded in New York, October 19, 1938. Some of the original material was recorded in the 20's or come from radio broadcasts so to cannot pretend to be hi-fi. This album should be anyway in every good record collection

Musicians

	Louis Armstrong tr, voc, 1901-1971 US cornet, trumpet, vocals, album by
	Buster Bailey cl, 1902-1967 US alto saxophone, clarinet, soprano saxophone
	Don Redman as, voc, 1900-1964 US alto saxophone, arranged by
	Bill Johnson b, cb, banjo
	Buddy Christian bj, 1885-1958 US banjo
	Charlie Dixon bj, 1898-1940 US banjo
	Charlie Jackson voc, sax, b, bass saxophone
	Coleman Hawkins ts, 1904-1969 US bass saxophone, tenor saxophone
	Johnny Dodds cl, 1892-1940 US clarinet
	King Oliver cor, 1881-1938 US cornet
	Baby Dodds dr, US drums
	George Wettling dr, 1907-1968 US drums
	Kaiser Marshall dr, 1899-1948 US drums
	Al Casey g, *1915 US guitar
	Fletcher Henderson p, 1897-1952 US leader, piano
	Fats Waller p, voc, 1904-1943 US piano, vocals
	Lil Hardin voc, p, 1898-1971 piano
	Lil Hardin-Armstrong p, US piano
	Aaron Thompson tb, trombone
	Charlie Green tb, 1900-1936 US trombone
	Honore Dutrey tb, 1894-1935 US trombone
	Jack Teagarden tb, voc, 1905-1964 US trombone
	Elmer Chambers tr, 1897-1952 US trumpet
	Howard Scott cor, US trumpet
	Ralph Escudero b, tu, 1898-1970 PR tuba
	Alberta Hunter voc, 1895-1984 US vocals
	Ma Rainey voc, 1886-1939 US vocals
	Trixie Smith voc, 1895-1943 US vocals

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