| Louis Armstrong/13 April 1928 |
| Written by Jon Horsley |
| Monday, 13 April 2009 20:34 |
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Hot Five
Hot Five
 The Daily Telegraph reviews Louis Armstrong And His Hot Five, 13 April 1928.We have received many missives from readers concerned by Charles Lindberg's recent air-borne voyage from the former United Kingdom all the way across the Atlantic. If this faddish airborne travel catches on, surely more and more of the dissolute, upstart race will begin to return to their natural homeland, enticed by our superior food, climate and culture? Listening to Mr Armstrong's latest recordings, we are duty bound to report that this may well be the unfortunate happenstance. Any nation that is subjected to “music” as offensive as this must be on the verge of mass emigration. While we do not wish to grievously insult Mr Armstrong, were it not incontrovertible scientific fact that black people are incapable of playing music we would suggest that Mr Armstrong was a negro. Sue us for libel if you dare Mr Armstrong - we are prepared! For Mr Armstrong should be aware he is consorting with fraudsters and rapscallions of the worst sort. We have consulted Buckingham Palace and discovered that the Earl Hines named as pianist on the record is a Baron at best. Beware country house owners of England! We can only assume that Hines has assumed the identity of a peer in order to purloin a cow creamer from you. The “music” that Mr. Armstrong and his quintet conjures is an assault on the ears. There is none of the gentle caterwauling of a madrigal. Instead there is a repetitive rhythm and trumpet sounds that do not even sound as if they have been prepared before hand! What next, Mr Armstrong? In the unlikely event that this type of syncopation is enjoyed by ears, and governments allow it to flourish, we will end up with some bizarre futures. Perforce Mr Armstrong will improvise parts of his songs? Or even dismiss the instruments all together and have us dance in a room to a simple drum beat! Or perhaps he would have us listen to the banjo as the centrepoint to a four-piece band playing only rudimentary chords and using foul language? Hot Five
Hot Five
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