Jazz tradicional: «Shangai Shuffle», «Copenhagen», «The Meanest Kind Of Blues», «Mandy Make Up Your Mind», «Everybody Loves My Baby» y «Sugar Foot Stomp» [ESP/ENG]

After three months in drummer Ollie Powers’ band, in late 1924 Louis Armstrong accepted an invitation from pianist Fletcher Henderson to go to New York to play in his orchestra, the top African-American dance band of the time with arrangements by Don Redman, replacing trumpeter Joe Smith. The city was in full artistic bloom and Henderson had landed a contract with his orchestra at the prestigious Roseland Ballroon. Then Armstrong had to switch to trumpet in order to better fit in with the wind section.

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Henderson and Redman started to integrate his swinging vocabulary into the arrangements, transforming the ensemble into what is regarded as the first jazz big band. The other members of the group were also gradually influenced by his emotional style, including tenor saxophonist Coleman Hawkins, whose playing changed significantly, and who later became the first major jazz soloist on his instrument. Therefore, Armstrong taught the other musicians how to swing and in turn he learned the new dynamics of the orchestras, which were divided into sections.

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Armstrong also made recordings with the main female blues singers of the time, such as Alberta Hunter, Ma Rainey, Trixie Smith and Clara Smith, although the ones he did with Bessie Smith were the most remarkable. He also collaborated on several recordings directed by vocalist, pianist and songwriter Clarence Williams, a King Oliver’s old friend, and in two cuts he coincided with the other musician who stood out above the rest, soprano saxophonist and clarinetist Sidney Bechet. Nevertheless, Armstrong wasn’t comfortable in Henderson’s band: his teammates didn’t have enough discipline, the leader wouldn’t let him sing fearing that his rough vocalizing would be too rude for the sophisticated audience, and when Joe Smith came back he assigned more solos to him, as he preferred his way of playing.

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Translated with the help of DeepL

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