Muggles (recording)

Last updated April 26, 2019

Muggles by Louis Armstrong VocalionMuggles.jpg — Muggles by Louis Armstrong

"Muggles" is the title of a recording by Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra.

Louis Daniel Armstrong, nicknamed Satchmo, Satch, and Pops, was an American trumpeter, composer, vocalist and occasional actor who was one of the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades, from the 1920s to the 1960s, and different eras in the history of jazz. In 2017, he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.

Development

It was recorded in Chicago on December 7, 1928. The title refers to the use of the word "muggles" as a slang term for marijuana among jazz musicians of the 1920s and 1930s. Armstrong was an enthusiastic user of marijuana, which was legal in most American states at the time.

The personnel of this recording were, in addition to Armstrong on trumpet, Fred Robinson, trombone; Jimmy Strong, clarinet; Earl Hines, piano; Mancy Carr (not "Cara" as his name has often been misspelled) on banjo, and Zutty Singleton on drums.

A trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group contains the instruments with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpet-like instruments have historically been used as signaling devices in battle or hunting, with examples dating back to at least 1500 BC; they began to be used as musical instruments only in the late 14th or early 15th century. Trumpets are used in art music styles, for instance in orchestras, concert bands, and jazz ensembles, as well as in popular music. They are played by blowing air through nearly-closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound that starts a standing wave vibration in the air column inside the instrument. Since the late 15th century they have primarily been constructed of brass tubing, usually bent twice into a rounded rectangular shape.

The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. As on all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips (embouchure) cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate. Nearly all trombones have a telescoping slide mechanism that varies the length of the instrument to change the pitch. Many modern trombone models also use a valve attachment to lower the pitch of the instrument. Variants such as the valve trombone and superbone have three valves similar to those on the trumpet.

The clarinet is a family of woodwind instruments. It has a single-reed mouthpiece, a straight, cylindrical tube with an almost cylindrical bore, and a flared bell. A person who plays a clarinet is called a clarinetist.

"Muggles" is in the 12-bar blues form. It starts out with some rather modernistic Hines piano work for the time with Singleton playing sensitively on the brushes. Robinson then takes a gutsy lead without breaking the mood, followed by a chorus by Strong showing the influence of Jimmie Noone. The rest of the band then stops for 2 measures while Armstrong starts a chorus on an adventuresome break subtly playing with the rhythm. The horns then play chords behind Armstrong's excellent 2 choruses of solo. The rhythm gently suggests double-time on the first chorus, giving a sense of acceleration without actually speeding up the tempo, then returns to the dreamy feel of the tune's beginning for the final chorus, with Hines creating fills behind Armstrong.

Jimmie Noone was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. After beginning his career in New Orleans he led Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra, an influential Chicago band that recorded for Vocalion and Decca Records. Maurice Ravel acknowledged basing his Boléro on a Jimmie Noone improvisation. At the time of his death Noone had his own quartet in Los Angeles and was part of an all-star band that was an important force in reviving interest in traditional New Orleans jazz in the 1940s.

In popular music, a break is an instrumental or percussion section during a song derived from or related to stop-time – being a "break" from the main parts of the song or piece. A break is usually interpolated between sections of a song, to provide a sense of anticipation, signal the start of a new section, or create variety in the arrangement.

"Muggles" was issued by Okeh, a 78 in its race record series.

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