This release presents all of the legendary 1925-29 recordings by the extraordinary Louis Armstrong Hot Five and Hot Seven small groups. Featuring such stellar names as Earl Hines, Johnny Dodds, Kid Ory, Barney Bigard, Lonnie Johnson, Jack Teagarden, and Jimmy Noone, these were among the first jazz recordings to be universally considered as classics.
The most comprehensive set so far, our 4-CD collection also contains all of Louis' complementary recordings from that period on which other members of the Hot Fice and Hot Seven were present. The sessions by the Carroll Dickerson band, Johnny Dodds Black Bottom Stompers, and singer Lillie Delk Thomas, for instance, complete Armstrong's sides with Earl Hines from this early period (Hines would rejoin Louis in the late forties). Other bonus sessions feature Louis' backing singers Hociel Thomas, Butterbeans & Susie, and Victoria Spivey, participating in a band under his wife Lil Hardin's name, and working with groups featuring washboard player Jimmy Bertrand.
| Track | Duration |
|---|---|
| Gut Bucket Blues | 2:42 |
| My Heart | 2:25 |
| Yes! I'm In A Barrel | 2:39 |
| Come Back, Sweet Papa | 2:28 |
| Georgia Grind | 2:34 |
| Heebie Jeebies | 2:54 |
| Cornet Chop Suey | 2:57 |
| Oriental Strut | 3:02 |
| You're Next | 3:16 |
| Muskrat Ramble | 2:32 |
| Don't Forget to Mess Around | 3:03 |
| I'm Gonna Gitcha | 2:45 |
| Droppin' Shucks | 2:52 |
| Who'sit | 2:46 |
| King of the Zulus | 3:05 |
| Big Fat Ma and Skinny Pa | 3:01 |
| Lonesome Blues | 3:04 |
| Sweet Little Pappa | 2:45 |
| Jazz Lips | 3:02 |
| Skid-Dat-De-Dat | 3:05 |
| Big Butter And Egg Man | 3:00 |
| Sunset Cafe Stomp | 2:45 |
| You Made Me Love You | 2:54 |
| Irish Black Bottom | 2:39 |
| Put'em Down Blues | 3:15 |
| Ory's Creole Trombone | 3:05 |
| The Last Time | 3:27 |
| Struttin' With Some Barbecue | 3:06 |
| Got No Blues | 3:25 |
| Once in a While | 3:17 |
| I'm Not Rough | 3:04 |
| Hotter Than That | 3:04 |
| Savoy Blues | 3:26 |
| Georgia Bo Bo | 3:04 |
| Drop That Sack (Common Take) | 2:49 |
| Drop That Sack (Rare Take) | 2:45 |
| Willie The Weeper | 3:08 |
| Wild Man Blues | 3:11 |
| Alligator Crawl | 3:03 |
| Potato Head Blues | 2:58 |
| Melancholy | 3:03 |
| Weary Blues | 3:00 |
| Twelfth Street Rag | 3:04 |
| Keyhole Blues | 3:28 |
| S.O.L. Blues | 2:53 |
| Gully Low Blues | 3:16 |
| That's When I'll Come Back To You | 2:57 |
| Chicago Breakdown | 3:20 |
| Weary Blues (Dodds) | 2:50 |
| New Orleans Stomp | 2:46 |
| Wild Man Blues (Dodds - Common Take) | 3:03 |
| Wild Man Blues(Dodds - Rare Take) | 3:06 |
| Melancholy [Common Take] | 3:08 |
| Melancholy [Rare Take] | 3:21 |
| Fireworks | 3:11 |
| Skip The Gutter | 3:09 |
| A Monday Date | 3:14 |
| Don't Jive Me | 2:49 |
| West End Blues | 3:21 |
| Sugar foot strut | 3:21 |
| Two Deuces | 2:58 |
| Squeeze Me | 3:25 |
| Knee Drops | 3:26 |
| No (Papa, No) | 2:53 |
| Basin Street Blues | 3:17 |
| No One Else But You | 3:23 |
| Beau Koo Jack | 3:01 |
| Save It, Pretty Mama | 3:17 |
| Muggles | 2:52 |
| Hear Me Talkin' to Ya | 3:18 |
| St. James Infirmary | 3:14 |
| Tight Like This | 3:14 |
| Weather Bird | 2:45 |
| Symphonic Raps | 3:12 |
| Savoyagers Stomp | 3:08 |
| Mahogany Hall Stomp | 3:14 |
| I Can't Give You Anything But Love [Common Take] | 3:25 |
| I Cant Give You Anything But Love [Rare Take] | 3:27 |
| Knockin' A Jug | 3:14 |
| Gambler's Dream | 2:27 |
| Sunshine Baby | 2:45 |
| Adam And Eve Had The Blues | 3:16 |
| Put It Where I Can Get It | 2:57 |
| Wash Woman Blues | 2:58 |
| I've Stopped My Man | 2:51 |
| Static Strut | 2:50 |
| Stomp Off, Let's Go | 2:57 |
| He Likes It Slow | 2:42 |
| Easy Come Easy Go Blues | 2:37 |
| The Blues Stampede | 2:37 |
| I'm Goin' Huntin' | 2:57 |
| If You Wanna Be My Sugar Papa | 2:34 |
| You're A Real Sweetheart | 3:11 |
| Too Busy | 2:57 |
| Was It A Dream? | 3:02 |
| Last Night I Dreamed You Kissed Me | 3:09 |
| I Can't Give You Anything But Love | 3:25 |
| Baby | 2:53 |
| Sweethearts On Parade | 3:08 |
| I Must Have That Man | 3:16 |
| Funny Feathers | 3:18 |
| How Do You Do It That Way? | 3:19 |
