Columbus, OH – The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) will present the music of Louis Armstrong’s famous Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings through a series of concerts and educational activities in February 2010 to coincide with Black History Month and the rebirth of the Lincoln Theatre.
The music of the Hot Five and the Hot Seven is considered by most critics to be among the finest recordings in jazz history. “Louis Armstrong provided jazz with its quantum leap forward – his Hot Five and Hot Seven group recordings were the culmination of all he had accomplished in music to that point,” cites All About Jazz. The Hot Fives began in 1925 and the instrumentation included trumpet, clarinet, trombone, piano and guitar/banjo with the addition of drums and tuba in 1927 to make the Hot Sevens.
“With each single that Armstrong released during this era, musicians would wait with baited breath to hear what he was going to do, and then they’d try to emulate the style,” describes Byron Stripling, Artistic Director of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. “He forever altered American music in three ways – rhythmically, melodically, and harmonically… and Armstrong was the first great soloist, with the trumpet being the lead voice in an ensemble… This era was truly Armstrong’s most creative.”
Jazz Arts Group’s own interpretation of the Hot Fives / Hot Sevens will perform February 19 – 20 at 8:00 p.m. as part of the Lincoln Theatre’s Inside Track series and feature Byron Stripling, trumpet; Bob Breithaupt, drums; Mark Flugge, piano; Don Vappie, banjo/guitar; Wycliffe Gordon, trombone; Allan Vache, clarinet; and Tony Zilincik, tuba. Tickets are on sale now for $25 (orchestra) and $30 (loge) and are available by phone at 614-469-0939 and through all Ticketmaster outlets. Student tickets are available for $15 with student ID, at the door only.
For additional information or to register, visit www.jazzartsgroup.org or call 614-294-5200 x 107.