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Chapter 5: The Birth of an American Music: Jazz into the 1920s
Armstrong, clarinetist Sidney Bechet, and Fletcher Henderson’s orchestra.
Later in life she worked as a nurse for several years, before reviving her
career as a vocalist in the 1970s. Recordings from both the early and late
phases of her career are readily available on CD, including the excellent
Amtrak Blues — one of her last albums.
� Ma Rainey (1886–1939): Gertrude “Ma Rainey” grew up singing with her
family in minstrel shows. Like many of her female peers with prolific
careers as blues singers, Rainey also made many recordings with jazz
greats.
The CD Ma Rainey (Milestone) includes her famous “See See Rider Blues”
featuring Armstrong, Henderson, and clarinetist Buster Bailey, as well as
“Slave to the Blues” with Hawkins.
� Bessie Smith (1895–1937): Best known for the early blues and jazz divas,
Smith made her recording debut in 1923, accompanied by pianist Clarence
Williams on “Down Hearted Blues” and “Gulf Coast Blues,” which sold
750,000 copies. Her recording of “St. Louis Blues” with Louis Armstrong
is a diamond of early jazz, and her career as a singer was on the upswing
when she was killed in an auto accident in 1937.
Countless compilation CDs and box sets are devoted to Smith, but the
five-volume Bessie Smith: The Complete Recordings is the one to own if
you want a full representation of her music.
� Mamie Smith (1883–1946): She too was a blues diva who also performed
with jazz heroes like Coleman Hawkins and Bubber Miley, but before the
rest of these ladies, Smith made the first blues recordings in 1920, selling
more than a million of “It’s Right Here For You” and “Crazy Blues.” The
music was smoother and sweeter than some of her gutsier blues.
Crazy Blues (Sony) is an excellent collection of Smith’s best recordings,
while the four-volume Completed Recorded Works (Document) is the
authoritative set.
Investigating other significant
African-American musicians
Other giants of the New Orleans-to-Chicago transition included
� Henry “Red” Allen (1908–1967): Louis Armstrong’s peer in New Orleans,
trumpeter Allen was one of jazz’s most innovative early soloists. He
played with greats including Fletcher Henderson, Coleman Hawkins, Fate
Marable, King Oliver, and Luis Russell.
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