Struttin' with Some Barbecue: Lil Hardin Armstrong Becomes the First Lady of Jazz; by Patricia Hruby Powell

Abstract

Reviewed by: Struttin' with Some Barbecue: Lil Hardin Armstrong Becomes the First Lady of Jazz; by Patricia Hruby Powell Elizabeth Bush Powell, Patricia Hruby Struttin' with Some Barbecue: Lil Hardin Armstrong Becomes the First Lady of Jazz; illus. by Rachel Himes. Charlesbridge, 2018 112p Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-58089-740-2 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-63289-581-3 $9.99 R Gr. 3-5 Powell introduces readers to the young Black woman who broke barriers as a pianist with King Oliver's jazz band and established a solid career years before her name became associated with her husband, trumpeter Louis Armstrong. Four chapters in verse chronicle Lil's life, detailing her childhood in Memphis and the tension [End Page 135] between Lil and her very godly mother over playing "the devil's music," her career move out of a music store and into the spotlight of the Creole Jazz Band, and her management of Louis Armstrong's nascent career—and heartstrings—even as her own career advanced and evolved. Kids who were charmed by Powell's Josephine (BCCB 1/14) may be a bit disappointed with the stodgier graphite pencil illustrations in this title, but Lil Hardin Armstrong's story is both inspirational and great fun, and it's hard to resist the tale of teeny-tiny Lil ordering her famous husband back to Chicago: "'Come now or don't come at all.'/That did it./Louis choseLil." This could be an easy step up from Mara Rockliff's picture book bio Born to Swing (BCCB 2/18); a glossary, quotation sources, index, and resources for further investigation are also included. EB Copyright © 2018 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois