The Jazz Arts Group of Columbus (JAG) will present the music of Louis Armstrong’s famous Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings through a series of concerts and educational activities in February 2010 to coincide with Black History Month and the rebirth of the Lincoln Theatre.

The music of the Hot Five and the Hot Seven is considered by most critics to be among the finest recordings in jazz history. “Louis Armstrong provided jazz with its quantum leap forward – his Hot Five and Hot Seven group recordings were the culmination of all he had accomplished in music to that point,” cites All About Jazz. The Hot Fives began in 1925 and the instrumentation included trumpet, clarinet, trombone, piano and guitar/banjo with the addition of drums and tuba in 1927 to make the Hot Sevens.

“With each single that Armstrong released during this era, musicians would wait with baited breath to hear what he was going to do, and then they’d try to emulate the style,” describes Byron Stripling, Artistic Director of the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. “He forever altered American music in three ways – rhythmically, melodically, and harmonically… and Armstrong was the first great soloist, with the trumpet being the lead voice in an ensemble… This era was truly Armstrong’s most creative.”

Jazz Arts Group’s own interpretation of the Hot Fives / Hot Sevens will perform February 19 – 20 at 8:00 p.m. as part of the Lincoln Theatre’s Inside Track series and feature Byron Stripling, trumpet; Bob Breithaupt, drums; Mark Flugge, piano; Don Vappie, banjo/guitar; Wycliffe Gordon, trombone; Allan Vache, clarinet; and Tony Zilincik, tuba. Tickets are on sale now for $25 (orchestra) and $30 (loge) and are available by phone at 614-469-0939 and through all Ticketmaster outlets. Student tickets are available for $15 with student ID, at the door only.

In conjunction with the performances, a series of educational activities will also take place at the Jazz Academy including: a keynote address entitled Louis Armstrong: American Icon (February 18, 7:00 p.m.) from John E. Hasse, Curator of American Music from the Smithsonian Institution; plus Louis Armstrong Solo Improvisation (February 19, 1:00 p.m.) with Mark C. Gridley; The Banjo and its Influence on American Music (February 20, 2:00 p.m.) with Don Vappie; and Early Drumming and the American Back Beat (February 15, 7:00 p.m.) with Robert Breithaupt. Registration fee for each course is $15 (or $10 for community arts partners). For additional information or to register, click here or call 614-294-5200 x 107.

This project has been made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of “American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius.” The Inside Track music series is presented by the Jazz Arts Group with media support from The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus Alive, CD101, and WCBE 90.5 FM. Additional media support for “Louis Armstrong’s Hot Fives / Hot Sevens Revisited” concert presentation is provided by WOSU Public Media.