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The Entertainers – Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway and Lionel Hampton (1929 - 1940)

By Russell Perry | Jazz at 100
March 5, 2019
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Jazz has often been looked at through the lens of the conflict between art and commerce. In the 1930s, several artists successfully blurred these distinctions. Louis Armstrong adopted popular song as his vehicle for a successful career shift into the mainstream. Cab Calloway defined his popular hipster persona while fronting one of the most professional big bands of the era and providing an incubator for numerous future jazz starts including Dizzy Gillespie, Chu Berry and Milt Hinton. Lionel Hampton, a key member of Benny Goodman's courageous color-blind quartet and the leading vibraphonist of his generation, created a series of high-energy recordings that were foundational in the development of Rhythm and Blues.

Playlist

Host Intro 0:00
Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra "Ain't Misbehavin'" from Classic Jazz: Vol. 096, Louis Armstrong (1929) (Encyclopedia of Jazz) 3:04
Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra "(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue'" from Classic Jazz: Vol. 096, Louis Armstrong (1929) (Encyclopedia of Jazz) 6:26
Host speaks 9:33
Louis Armstrong And His New Sebastian Cotton Club Orchestra "Sweethearts on Parade'" from The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz (Smithsonian) 10:34
Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra "I Gotta Right to Sing the Blues'" from The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz (Smithsonian) 13:51
Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra "Sweet Sue (Just You)" from The Jazz Singers (Smithsonian) 16:51
Host speaks 19:35
Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra "2:19 Blues" from The Jazz Singers (Smithsonian) 20:36
Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra "Hobo, You Can't Ride This Train" from The Jazz Singers (Smithsonian) 23:27
Host speaks 26:29
Cab Calloway & His Orchestra "Minnie the Moocher" from The Early Years 1930-1934 (JSP) 29:25
Cab Calloway & His Orchestra "Kickin' the Gong Around" from The Early Years 1930-1934 (JSP) 32:35
Cab Calloway & His Orchestra "Minnie the Moocher's Wedding Day" from The Early Years 1930-1934 (JSP) 35:44
Host speaks 38:47
Cab Calloway & His Orchestra "The Man From Harlem" from The Jazz Singers (Smithsonian) 39:43
Host speaks 42:49
Lionel Hampton And His Orchestra "When Lights Are Low'" from The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz (Smithsonian) 45:09
Lionel Hampton And His Orchestra "Jivin' the Vibes'" from Lionel Hampton: 1937 -1938 (Classics) 47:20
Host speaks 49:40
Lionel Hampton And His Orchestra "Ring Dem Bells'" from Lionel Hampton: 1937 -1938 (Classics) 50:27
Lionel Hampton And His Orchestra "Rhythm, Rhythm (I Got Rhythm)" from Lionel Hampton: 1937 -1938 (Classics) 53:48
Host Outro 56:40

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About Louis Armstrong

Instrument: Trumpet and vocals

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