As a chef, I always migrate towards anything food-related because it’s what I know and love. I decided to take a deeper look into Louis Armstrong’s “Struttin with Some Barbecue” song and find out what’s cookin’ in his kitchen. I’ve learned that in jazz, some terms may have a double-meaning and it’s always best to check Cab Calloway’s “Hepster Dictionary” when in doubt of any words that sound a little odd. Turns out that “barbecue” in jazz lingo means girlfriend, or a beauty, so “struttin’ with a lady” makes a lot more sense now.
The other song I chose to compare was the “Dipper Mouth Blues” King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band. What makes it interesting to me is that both musicians started their art in New Orleans and both later moved north to Chicago, with Louis Armstrong playing second cornet in King Creole’s swinging band. New Orleans style jazz is similar to ragtime in that it rhythm is steady and swinging that creates a happy and warm feeling. King Oliver’s band was a swing band. The players would improvise at once, making up their own music while playing together. Even …show more content…
“Dipper Mouth Blues,” recorded in 1923, is an outstanding song to listen to no matter how many times you hear it. The song starts with the band playing New Orleans style; Johnny Dodds plays the clarinet weaving in and out as the band plays the melody. As the clarinet solo continues, Louis Armstrong can be heard in the background on second cornet. The band swings in steady rhythm. And then, the moment you’ve been waiting for… King Oliver’s first cornet solo comes to life with that plunger sound effect “wah-wah.” King’s second solo has a different pattern and he transitions to a third solo playing higher notes. A voice says, “Play that thing!” The band continues to play in steady rhythm as Oliver and Armstrong finish the song in