Louis Armstrong in Chicago

In 1922, Louis Armstrong received a telegram from his friend and mentor, Joe “King” Oliver, to join his band in Chicago. It was the opportunity he’d been waiting for. From 1918-21, he’d been playing polite versions of the day’s hits on riverboats up and down the Mississippi River, and had stints with the Tuxedo Brass Band and Kid Ory in his hometown of New Orleans. His chops were honed and he’d become an excellent sight-reader of music, and he felt he was ready for the big time.

By Dave Lifton (@daveeatschicago)

On July 8^th, 1922, a month shy of his 21st birthday, the cornetist concluded a 25-hour train ride by arriving at the Illinois Central Station at the southern tip of Grant Park. He took a cab to Lincoln Gardens (459 E. 31st St.), the Bronzeville club where Oliver and His Creole Jazz Band had a nightly gig, and the two reconnected. The next night, he made his Chicago debut, playing second cornet to Oliver. Armstrong was given a few solos a night, but made sure he didn’t upstage his boss.

He quickly settled into an apartment at 3412 S. Wabash Ave., where the concept of a private bath seemed luxurious for Armstrong, who was raised in abject poverty. Within a year, Armstrong would make his recorded debut with Oliver, cutting nine sides in Richmond, Ind., for the Gennett label. These included “Dipper Mouth Blues,” a co-write between Oliver and Armstrong, and “Chimes Blues,” where Armstrong took his first recorded solo (starting at 1:53). 

Oliver’s pianist was Lillian Hardin, who’d already developed a following on the Chicago jazz scene as “Hot Miss Lil.” Although they were both married (Armstrong’s first wife, Daisy Parker, was a prostitute in New Orleans) they became a couple. Hardin’s effect on Armstrong can’t be overstated. She improved his wardrobe and haircut to a more urbane look. More importantly, she pushed him to be more ambitious in his career. After divorcing their spouses, they married on Feb. 5^th, 1924 and moved into a house at 421 E. 44^th St. Seven months later, Louis moved to New York to join the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, the biggest Black band of the decade. 

Armstrong left New York after a little more than a year, in part because Henderson wouldn’t let him sing. He returned to Chicago, where he joined Lil’s band, which had a residency at the Dreamland Café (3520 S. State St.). She promoted his arrival with a banner declaring him to be the “World’s Greatest Trumpet Player.” 

Lil’s faith paid off. Before long, he was the main attraction at the Sunset Café (315 E. 35th St.). The “black-and-tan” (i.e., integrated) club was owned by Joe Glaser, who’d made his name running brothels and fixing boxing matches for Al Capone. During this time, Armstrong signed with Okeh Records and they assembled the Hot Five with a trio of New Orleans transplants: Kid Ory (trombone), Johnny Dodds (clarinet), and Johnny St. Cyr (banjo and guitar). Over the next two and a half years, the Hot Five (and later, the Hot Seven) released the most important early recordings in jazz. “Heebie Jeebies” (1926) is believed to be the first record to feature scat singing – a practice unknown outside the clubs – reportedly because Armstrong dropped the sheet music during the recording. Ory’s “Muskrat Ramble” (1926) and Lil’s “Struttin’ With Some Barbecue” (1927) have since become traditional jazz standards. 

But the biggest of all was Oliver’s “West End Blues” (1928). Between Armstrong’s 12-second unaccompanied cadenza that introduces the song, Earl “Fatha” Hines’ solo, and the call-and-response between clarinetist Jimmy Strong and Armstrong’s scatting, the song showed the music world that improvised jazz could be harmonically complex and performed by virtuoso musicians.

The success of “West End Blues” meant that Armstrong was now too big for Chicago. He moved to New York in 1929, and he would soon go on to become jazz’s first international star. Lil remained in Chicago, and they separated in 1931, with a divorce finalized in 1938. A park is named in her honor a few blocks away from their 44^th St. house. 

Armstrong returned to Chicago in 1934 to recuperate from a split lip that prevented him from playing for a year. By then, he was broke due to having signed some bad deals with shady characters. He turned to Glaser, himself a shady character, who became his manager and got Armstrong back to work in the recording studio and on the road. All of the addresses mentioned above are in the Bronzeville neighborhood on the South Side. However, all but Armstrong’s house (a private residence) and the Sunset Café (a beauty supply store that was declared a Chicago landmark in 1998) have since been demolished. The café’s stage has been converted to the manager’s office, and the shop receives pilgrimages from jazz lovers from around the world.