Lil Hardin Armstrong

Born: February 3, 1898

Lil Hardin helped introduce America to jazz music. She was a dedicated jazz pianist, who established a reputation as "Hot Miss Lil," one of the few female band ensemble members of the 1920��s. She played on many of the first jazz recordings ever made and she wrote many of the early songs of the jazz era. Though she might be identified in the jazz world as the wife of Louis Armstrong, she was much more than that. Lil Armstrong was born Lillian Beatrice Hardin on February 3, 1898. Her grandmother, Priscilla Thompson, was born into slavery in 1850 in Lafayette County near Oxford, Mississippi. Her parents separated when Armstrong was very young

Alisa Clancy Served Cheer and Empathy with Her Morning Cup of Jazz During COVID, Then Signed Off

by Joan Merrill
August 4, 2025

Bay Area jazz lovers were shocked to learn that “the voice of jazz" would no longer help them greet the day with her blend of jazz and good humor in a voice like no other. After 35 years as KCSM's premiere host, Alisa Clancy announced her retirement after almost single-handedly keeping the radio station ...

The Brief Reign of King Oliver

by Karl Ackermann
June 12, 2025

In 2020, I published A Map of Jazz: Crossroads of Music and Human Rights (WS Publishing), a book that looks at the culture of jazz on a timeline with cultures of the world. At more than 500 pages, the book is incomplete by necessity; there is no well-marked path, and the history is sometimes nebulous. However, ...

Caili O'Doherty: Bluer Than Blue

by Pierre Giroux
May 12, 2025

Pianist and arranger Caili O'Doherty has carved out a niche as both an incisive interpreter of the jazz tradition and an innovator unafraid to reshape it. With Bluer Than Blue, she turns her keen musical intellect toward the underappreciated Lil Hardin Armstrong, a trailblazing composer, pianist, and bandleader whose influence has long lingered in the shadows ...

The Legacy of Lillian Hardin Armstrong

by Karl Ackermann
April 10, 2025

In 2020, I published A Map of Jazz: Crossroads of Music and Human Rights (WS Publishing), a book that looks at the culture of jazz on a timeline with cultures of the world. At more than 500 pages, the book is incomplete by necessity; there is no well-marked path, and the history is sometimes nebulous. However, ...

Stomp Off, Let's Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong

by Keith Hatschek
March 6, 2025

Stomp Off, Let's Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong Ricky Riccardi 466 Pages ISBN: # 978-0-19-761448-8 Oxford University Press 2025 Louis Armstrong's undeniable influence on jazz and popular culture has been the subject of many books, essays, and articles throughout the years, so one wonders will another biography ...

Arturo O'Farrill's Homage To Carla Bley, Julia H?lsmann, Vocalists Holly Cole, Aubrey Logan, Lili Anel, Liz Cole & More

by Mary Foster Conklin
February 10, 2025

This broadcast includes new releases including Arturo O'Farrill's Carla Bley tribute, the Julia H?lsmann Quartet, plus vocalists Aubrey Logan, Holly Cole, Liz Cole and Lili Anel, with birthday shoutouts to jazz foremother Lil Hardin Armstrong, Caili O'Doherty, vocalists CeCe Gable, Rosemary Loar, Eugenie Jones, Aubrey Logan, and Melody Gardot. Happy listening and please support the artists ...

Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five

Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five were a pioneering jazz ensemble formed in 1925, often regarded as one of the most influential groups in the history of jazz. The band, led by Armstrong on cornet, featured notable musicians such as clarinetist Johnny Dodds, trombonist Kid Ory, and pianist Lil Hardin. The Hot Five's recordings, including iconic tracks like "West End Blues" and "Potato Head Blues," played a crucial role in shaping the development of early jazz, particularly in terms of improvisation, solo performance, and the role of the individual voices within the band.

New Releases From Giorgia Hannoush, Yuhan Su, Amanda Gardier, Mary Halvorson, Eugenie Jones & More

by Mary Foster Conklin
February 12, 2024

This broadcast includes new releases from guitarists Giorgia Hannoush and Mary Halvorson, vibraphonist Yuhan Su, saxophonist Amanda Gardier, pianist Myra Melford and vocalist Eugenie Jones, with birthday shoutouts to Marc Cary, Lil Hardin Armstrong, Jutta Hipp, Jeanne Lee, Cindy Scott, and Caili O'Doherty, among others. Thanks for listening and please support the artists you hear by ...

New Vocal Releases, Birthday Shoutouts to Lil Hardin Armstrong, Jutta Hipp and More

by Mary Foster Conklin
February 13, 2023

The broadcast begins the February fundraiser for the station and includes new releases from drummer Jay Lawrence & the Platinum Jazz Orchestra, vocalists Jo Lawry, Ben Cassara and Ann Hampton Callaway, with birthday shoutouts to pianists Lil Hardin Armstrong, Caili O'Doherty, Jutta Hipp, vocalists Ed Reed, CeCe Gable and bassist Katie Thiroux, among others. Thanks for ...