Happy New Year!
Louis Armstrong’s POTATO HEAD BLUES
Something to boost our spirits as we begin the new year
In his 1979 movie Manhattan, Woody Allen, who plays the protagonist Isaac Davis, singles out Potato Head Blues as one of “the things that make life worth living.” He is referring to a 1927 recording by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven. Others have felt the same way.
Going back to the 1940’s, the great actress Tallulah Bankhead said, “It [Potato Head Blues] is one of the greatest things in life to alleviate the tedium of playing the same part for so long.” She was talking about her Broadway run in Noël Coward’s hit comedy of manners, Private Lives.
Some things to be aware of:
Armstrong hits many high notes in this piece—A’s and even C’s---talk about optimism!
He also varies his timbre on the same note by rapidly alternating fingerings for that note.
But, best of all, he is like the champion acrobat on the flying trapeze. He plays a stop-time solo with the rest of the band, coming in only on the downbeats of alternating measures.
And finally, the title of the piece is a special joke in itself. It actually has nothing to do with the blues!
I am looking forward to teaching a full-length, 8-week Armstrong course this coming spring for lifelong learners that includes this piece, Potato Head Blues.
If you’re interested in learning more about or possibly signing up for the Armstrong course, drop us an email at agelessmindproject@gmail.com. We’ll add you to our list and keep you posted about the dates, times, costs, and the platform on which we’ll be hosting it.
In addition, be sure to sign up for our AMP newsletter to kept abreast of upcoming events and projects in the new year. Click on the image below to be taken to the sign up form.
Here’s a recording of Potato Head Blues with an outline to guide your listening.
Artists: Louis Armstrong and His Hot Sevens, Chicago, May 10, 1927
0:00 /0:11/0:22/0:32: ABAC (32 bars) - collective improvisation
0:43: (16 bars) - verse interlude for solo trumpet
1:04/1:15/1:25/1:35: ABAC (32 bars) – clarinet
1:46 - transition of 4 bars by banjo
1:51/2:02/2:12/2:22: ABAC (32 bars) – famous stop-time trumpet solo, with punctuating chords on alternate downbeats as well as alternate fingerings on individual trumpet notes
2:33/2:43: AC: (16 bars) – joyous ride-out chorus and collective improvisation
Happy New Year!
Lynne, Josh, and the AMP team
Copyright 2024 by Joshua Berrett for Ageless Mind Project. All Rights Reserved.