The Jazz Arts Group 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 Hot Five and the Hot Seven is considered by most critics to be among the finest recordings in jazz history.

According to www.allaboutjazz.com: “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.”

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,” says 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 is Feb. 19 and 20 at 8 p.m. in the Lincoln Theatre and features Byron Stripling, trumpet; Bob Breithaupt, drums; Mark Flugge, piano; Don Vappie, banjo/guitar; Wycliffe Gordon, trombone; Chris Stofer, 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, www.ticketmaster.com.  

In conjunction with the performances, a series of educational activities will also take place at the Jazz Academy including: a keynote address titled "Louis Armstrong: American Icon" (Feb. 18, 7 p.m.) from John E. Hasse, Curator of American Music from the Smithsonian Institution; plus Louis Armstrong Solo Improvisation (Feb. 19, 1 p.m.) with Mark C. Gridley; The Banjo and its Influence on American Music (Feb. 20, 2 p.m.) with Don Vappie; and Early Drumming and the American Back Beat (Feb. 15, 7 p.m.) with Robert Breithaupt. Registration fee for each course is $15 (or $10 for community arts partners).

For additional information or to register, visit www.jazzartsgroup.org.