One of the most famous periods of the Fletcher Henderson band was the year that Louis Armstrong quit King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band moved to NYC to join the Henderson orchestra.
On Armstrong’s recommendation, arranger Don Redman looked through “a little book of manuscripts” that he and Oliver had written in Chicago. In it, he found a tune called “Dipper Mouth Blues” which was recorded by the Oliver band in 1923. He arranged it for Henderson band as “Sugar Foot Stomp”
The record was “among the best-selling records of late 1925.” In fact, the record was so popular that Columbia kept it in print for over 10 years. It was reportedly Henderson’s personal favorite recording of everything his orchestra produced.
Oddly, this record has some detractors: notably Gunther Schuller, who panned the recording and Redman’s arrangement. Armstrong, for his part, “plays Oliver’s solo nearly note for note” but with his own tone and character.
0:00 Intro – Saxes chorus
0:18 Brass chorus
0:32 Clarinet trio
0:51 Trombone solo (Green)
1:05 Trumpet solo (Armstrong)
1:49 Break
2:02 Coda
“Sugar Foot Stomp” would go on to be recorded as a beloved jazz standard by a great many bands in the 1930s and beyond, including Bob Crosby, Benny Goodman, Harry Roy, Artie Shaw, and Frank Trumbauer.
Recorded in New York City on May 29, 1925.
Matrix Ⓦ140639. Take 2
Released as Columbia 395-D.
Credits:
Fletcher Henderson – piano, director
Elmer Chambers, Joe Smith, Louis Armstrong – trumpet
Charlie Green – trombone
Buster Bailey – clarinet, alto sax
Don Redman – clarinet, alto sax, arranger
Coleman Hawkins – clarinet, tenor sax
Charlie Dixon – banjo
Bob Escudero – tuba
Kaiser Marshall – drums
Sources:
Hendersonia: The Music of Fletcher Henderson and his Musicians, Walter C. Allen, 1973
The Uncrowned King of Swing: Fletcher Henderson and Big Band Jazz, Jeffrey Magee, 2005
