Phil Schaap, the jazz historian and host of “Traditions in Swing” on Columbia University’s WKCR, dedicates a late December edition of the show each year to trumpet pioneer Cladys “Jabbo” Smith. The reason is that Smith was born on Christmas Eve.
Schaap explained this year — as he no doubt does every time around — that Smith was seen by Brunswick Records as a possible competitor to Louis Armstrong in the 1920s. Of course, it didn’t quite work out — Smith is widely known only to classic jazz aficionados while Armstrong is, well, Louis Armstrong. That doesn’t detract one bit from the brilliance of Smith’s playing. Here is more on Smith.
Above is a 1979 performance of “Climax Rag.” It’s from 1979, but swings like its 1929.
More on Armstrong at the site includes an interview with jazz historian Scott Yanow and a performance with Danny Kaye.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jabbo_Smith
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