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This four disc set features recordings made from 1925 to 1929 by Armstrong and his legendary Hot Five and Hot Seven bands. This four-year period marked a move away from the 4/4 beat of Dixieland jazz and toward a more rhythmically complex style of playing that would influence jazz musicians and arrangers for years to follow. The Hot Five and Hot Seven ushered in a period of transition from an emphasis on ensemble playing toward a time when soloists began to receive the most attention. The Hot Five made more than 60 recordings and included Lil Hardin on piano, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Kid Ory on trombone, and Johnny St. Syr on banjo. The Hot Seven added Pete Briggs on tuba, Bobby Dodds on drums, and replaced Kid Ory with John Thomas. Some of the more notable recordings in this set include "Potato Head Blues," "West End Blues," and "Weather Bird," a duet between Armstrong and pianist Earl Hines.
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