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Struttin' With Some Barbecue: Lil Hardin Armstrong Becomes the First Lady of Jazz
Author: Patricia Hruby Powell
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Language(s): English
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This is the true story of Lil Hardin Armstrong: pianist, composer, and bandleader in the early days of jazz. Ahead of her time, Lil made a career for herself--and for Louis Armstrong, her modest, unassuming husband. Louis might never have become the groundbreaking jazz player he was, if it hadn't been for Lil. Scat-inspired verse celebrates how Lil overcame race and gender barriers to become the first lady of the Chicago jazz scene.
—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review
—BCCB
POWELL, Patricia Hruby. Struttin’ with Some Barbecue: Lil Harden Armstrong Becomes the First Lady of Jazz. illus. by Rachel Himes. 96p. bibliog. chron. glossary. notes. Charlesbridge. Dec. 2018. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9781580897402.
Gr 3-6–This biography in verse tells the story of Lil Hardin Armstrong, the first lady of jazz and Louis Armstrong’s first wife. While the book starts with Hardin Armstrong’s birth, most of the text focuses on her time as a jazz pianist in the 1920s and her influential role in Louis Armstrong’s success. The poetry is free form and peppered with bits of scat as an ode to early jazz, and it works well as a vehicle to tell the story of such a strong figure in this movement. Hardin Armstrong’s life is compelling, and readers will be inspired by her perseverance and rise to success in a male-dominated field and in the face of segregation. However, details about her life are less realized than in a typical biography partly because of the book’s lyrical format. Thankfully Powell includes a variety of back matter including more information on Hardin Armstrong, jazz music, and the rise of jazz clubs in the 1920s. The charming illustrations nicely enhance the text. VERDICT Recommended for most libraries, especially where biographies circulate well.–Ellen Conlin, Naperville Public Library, IL
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