The JAZZ Story

The elements of Louis' style, already then in perfect balance, included a

sound that was the most musical and appealing yet heard from a trumpet; a

gift for melodic invention that was as logical as it was new and startling,

and a rhythmic poise (jazzmen called it "time") that made other players

sound stiff and clumsy in comparison.

His impact on musicians was tremendous. Nevertheless, Henderson didn't

feature him regularly, perhaps because he felt that the white dancers for

whom his band performed were not ready for Louis' innovations. During

his year with the band, however, Louis caused a transformation in its style

and, eventually, in the whole big band field. Henderson's chief arranger,

Don Redman, (1900-1964) grasped what Louis was doing and got some of

it on paper. After working with Louis, tenor saxophonist Coleman

Hawkins (1904-1969) developed a style for his instrument that became the

guidepost for the next decade.

While in New York, Louis also made records with Sidney Bechet, and

with Bessie Smith (1894-1937), the greatest of all blues singers. In 1925,

he returned to Chicago and began to make records under his own name

with a small group, the Hot Five. Included were his wife Lil Hardin

Armstrong (1899-1971) on piano, Kid Ory, Johnny Dodds, and guitarist

Johnny St. Cyr. The records, first to feature Louis extensively, became a

sensation among musicians, first all over the United States and later all

over the world. The dissemination of jazz, and in a very real sense its

whole development, would have been impossible without the phonograph.

KING LOUIS

The Hot Five was strictly a recording band. For everyday work, Louis