Louis Armstrong
STRUTTIN’ WITH SOME BARBECUE
This is one of the most famous traditional jazz recordings in history. Louis Armstrong recorded Struttin’ with Some Barbecue in 1927 with his Hot Five ensemble, featuring his wife Lil’ Hardin on piano, who also composed the song. The Hot Five configuation is noteworthy because it lacked the traditional accompaniment of bass and drums which we associate with rhythm sections today. Instead, the front line of Armstrong on cornet, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, and Kid Ory on trombone were joined by Hardin on piano and Johnny St. Cyr on guitar/banjo.
Armstrong would go on to record this tune multiple times throughout his career in various configurations, but this remains the original and seminal version. I’ve included his part from top to bottom to gain a fuller appreciation of his phrasing and the arc of the arrangement:
The Hot Five arrangements are methodically designed and well executed. In this number, the rhythm section keeps steady time for most of the performance up until Armstrong’s solo entrance. From there, they play stop time on 2 & 4 for the duration of his solo. It’s an effective change of pace that showcases Armstrong’s virtuosity on his instrument.
One of the most stunning moments occurs at the break just before the second half of Armstrong’s solo. Over the V7 he plays a brilliant approach tone based triplet phrase:
Solo breaks are a staple of Armstrong’s legacy and were a chance to let his technique shine. He is credited as being one of the first musicians to solo over instrumental breaks and consequently completely reinvented the role of the solo. To this end, there’s no disputing how Armstrong changed the direction of jazz from collective improvisation at the time to one that championed the voice of the individual soloist. Jazz would never be the same again.