25 Greatest Hot Fives & Sevens
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," whereLonnie Johnsonadds some eloquent guitar. And then there's "West End Blues," the trumpet classicpar excellencethat brings in pianistEarl 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