“Rockin’ Chair”

May 24, 2018 • 5:30 pm

Roy Eldridge (aka “Little Jazz”) blows with the Gene Krupa Orchestra. Truly one of the greatest trumpet solos in the history of jazz.

The song was composed by Hoagy Carmichael in 1929, and had words: a back and forth between and old man and his son. A vocal version was recorded by Louis Armstrong and Carmichael in 1929 (here), and later by Armstrong and the jazz trombonist Jack Teagarden (here). Eldredge’s version outshines them all by far, despite Armstrong’s 1929 solo. But do see the wonderful camaraderie between Armstrong and Teagarden.

13 thoughts on ““Rockin’ Chair”

  1. Three great versions of a great tune. Pops & J. Teagarden — there’s a pair had seen some sights, could tell some tales, brother.

  2. For reasons I never quite found out, Little Jazz used to introduce himself as “Yours truly, Wyatt Earp”.

    Perhaps it had something to do with his competitiveness. I saw him in 1975 on stage with both Dizzy Gillespie and Clark Terry.

  3. Gene Krupa was the drummer behind the Benny Goodman hit, “Sing, Sing, Sing,” one of my all-time favorite big band hits!

  4. Maybe just a little off topic, but the Asheville, NC airport is the only airport I have ever seen that had rocking chairs in the waiting area.

  5. One of my favorite Armstrong quotes is about him and Teagarden:

    “I’m a spade and you an ofay. We got the same soul, so let’s blow!”

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