Lil Hardin Armstrong - Chicago: The Living Legends

Best known as the wife of jazz legend Louis Armstrong, Lil Hardin Armstrong was an exciting performer in her own right. This CD, a recording of a Chicago session in 1961, is an excellent example of her later work, featuring superb Dixieland-style jazz with Armstrong's exuberant piano. The Dixieland pieces (including Kid Ory's "Muskrat Ramble") are fast-paced and colorful, complemented by a few blues pieces performed with an attractive, smooth laziness. There are also some original pieces here: "Boogie Me," "Clip Joint" (featuring a spirited vocal performance by Armstrong that makes one wish more of her singing was available on record), and "Eastown Boogie".; A somewhat obscure recording that is nonetheless required listening. --Genevieve Williams Amazon.com

This has got to be one of my favorite jazz CDs!

There's not enough good trad jazz that's been recorded from original artists like Lil Hardin. This CD is not only a great (sound-quality) recording of her playing and singing with a rather spontaneous big band, but it really conveys the energy, spontaneity, and excitement of what a live jazz session could be. Early recordings were too cumbersome to set up for much spontaneity, or if they were of live performances, didn't have such a great sound quality. This is an awesome CD, along with a track that Lil never recorded before (Clip Joint) that's one of my favorite songs! November 4, 2007

Lil Hardin Armstrong's legendary last studio session...

Lil Harden, will go down in history as being the 1st important female musician in jazz history, she palyed piano on most of King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band sides in the early 20's, and she also played piano on the majority of Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives & Sevens in the 20's, eventually she would marry Armstrong, she also composed many jazz standards which Louis Armstrong got credit for composing, she composed "Struutin' With Some Barbecue Sauce" and "Just For A Thrill." She even led some of Louis Armstrong's small groups in the 20's under the name of "Lil's Hot Shots" which were the same group as his Hot Five & Sevens. This "Chicago: The Living Legends Series" which was documenting great jazz artists from the 20's, in the early 1960's, has Lil Hardin Armstrong in a dixieland setting, all insrumental but one self composed "Clip Joint" (she sings so great on this title, that you'll wish she had recorded more vocals) Lil on piano sounds as hot as ever, and the band is consistantly hot on all of these New Orleans/Dixieland standards. "Royal Garden Blues" "Muskrat Ramble" and "Clip Joint" are just a few of the highlights of this terrific CD. Essential for Dixieland and New Orleans collectors, this is the best music that ever came out of the 60's. September 20, 2000

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