Lil’s Hot Shots

This chapter explores the relationship between Armstrong’s playing and classical composition in relation to his wife Lilian Hardin. The music explored includes “Coal Cart Blues,” “Skid-Dat-De-Dat,” and “Struttin’ With Some Barbecue.”While more research is needed, I argue that what has been interpreted as classical influences and harmonic sophistication in Armstrong’s playing in relation to tunes part composed with Hardin, these sophisticated touches are often rooted in barbershop practice rather than in the classical cannon.