Potato Head Blues

"Potato Head Blues" is a Louis Armstrong composition regarded as one of his finest recordings. It was made by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Seven[1] for Okeh Records in Chicago, Illinois on May 10, 1927. It was recorded during a remarkably productive week in which Armstrong's usual Hot Five was temporarily expanded to seven players by the addition of tuba and drums.[2] Some scholars have suggested that a key melodic figure in "Potato Head Blues" was picked up by Hoagy Carmichael for "Stardust."[3]

The recording features clarinet work by Johnny Dodds, and the stop-time solo chorus in the last half of the recording is one of Armstrong's most famous solos.[4] The stop-time aspects of "Potato Head Blues" was derived from the tap-dancing tradition at the Sunset Café as well as the New Orleanian tradition of adding breaks and fill-ins.[5]

Critic Thomas Ward called this recording "one of the most astonishing accomplishments in all of twentieth century music."[4] Ralph Ellison described it as "a classic demonstration of African-American elegance."[6]

In Woody Allen's 1979 film, Manhattan, the character Isaac Davis (played by Allen) lists Armstrong's recording of "Potato Head Blues" as one of the reasons that life is worth living.[7]