Louis Armstrong

Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901{{ref|birthday}} – July 6, 1971) (also known by the nicknames Satchmo and Pops) was an American jazz musician. Probably the most famous jazz musician of the 20th century, Armstrong was a charismatic, innovative performer whose musical skills and bright personality transformed jazz from a rough regional dance music into a popular art form. Armstrong first achieved fame as a trumpeter, but was also one of the most influential jazz singers, and towards the end of his career was best known as a vocalist.

Music

In his early years, Armstrong was best known for his virtuosity with the cornet and trumpet. The greatest trumpet playing of his early years can be heard on his Hot Five and Hot Seven records. The improvisations which he made on these records of New Orleans jazz standards and popular songs of the day, to the present time stack up brilliantly alongside those of any other later jazz performer. The older generation of New Orleans jazz musicians often referred to their improvisations as "variating the melody"; Armstrong's improvisations were daring and sophisticated for the time while often subtle and melodic. He often essentially re-composed pop-tunes he played, making them more interesting. Armstrong's playing is filled with joyous, inspired original melodies, creative leaps, and subtle relaxed or driving rhythms. The genius of these creative passages is matched by Armstrong's playing technique, honed by constant practice, which extended the range, tone and capabilities of the trumpet. In these records, Armstrong almost single-handedly created the role of the jazz soloist, taking what was essentially a collective folk music and turning it into an art form with tremendous possibilities for individual expression.

Related Topics:
Hot Five - Hot Seven

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Armstrong's work in the 1920s shows him playing at the outer limits of his abilities. The Hot 5 records, especially, often have minor flubs and missed notes, which do little to detract from listening enjoyment since the energy of the spontaneous performance comes through. By the mid 1930s Armstrong achieved a smooth assurance, knowing exactly what he could do and carrying out his ideas with perfectionism.

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As his music progressed and popularity grew, his singing also became important. Armstrong was not the first to record scat singing, but he was masterful at it and helped popularize it. He had a hit with his playing and scat singing on "Heebie Jeebies", and sang out "I done forgot the words" in the middle of recording "I'm A Ding Dong Daddy From Dumas". Such records were hits and scat singing became a major part of his performances. Long before this, however, Armstrong was playing around with his vocals, shortening and lengthening phrases, interjecting improvisations, using his voice as creatively as his trumpet.

Related Topics:
Scat singing - Heebie Jeebies

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During his long career he played and sang with the most important instrumentalists and vocalists; among the many, singing brakeman Jimmie Rodgers, Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Bessie Smith, and notably with Ella Fitzgerald. Armstrong recorded three albums with Fitzgerald: Ella & Louis, Ella & Louis again, and Porgy and Bess for Verve Records. His recordings Satch Plays Fats, all Fats Waller tunes, and Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy in the 1950s were perhaps the last of his great creative recordings, but even oddities like Disney Songs the Satchmo Way have their musical moments. For the most part, however, his later output was criticized as being overly simplistic or repetitive.

Related Topics:
Jimmie Rodgers - Bing Crosby - Duke Ellington - Fletcher Henderson - Bessie Smith - Ella Fitzgerald - Porgy and Bess - Verve Records - Fats Waller - W.C. Handy

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Armstrong had many hit records including "Stardust", "What a Wonderful World", "When the Saints Go Marching In", "Dream a Little Dream of Me", "Ain't Misbehavin'", and "Stompin' at the Savoy". "We Have All The Time In The World" featured on the soundtrack of the James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, and enjoyed renewed popularity in the UK in 1994 when it featured on a Guinness advert. It reached number 3 in the charts on being re-released.

Related Topics:
Stardust - What a Wonderful World - When the Saints Go Marching In - Dream a Little Dream of Me - Ain't Misbehavin' - Stompin' at the Savoy - We Have All The Time In The World - James Bond - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 1994 - Guinness

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In 1964 Armstrong knocked the Beatles off the top of the charts with "Hello, Dolly", which gave Armstrong a record as the oldest artist to have a #1 song (he was 63) and in 1968, he had one last popular hit with the highly sentimental pop song "What A Wonderful World". The song gained further currency in the popular consciousness when it was used in the 1987 movie Good Morning Vietnam, its subsequent rerelease topping the charts around the world.

Related Topics:
1964 - The Beatles - Hello, Dolly - Good Morning Vietnam

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Armstrong enjoyed many types of music, from the most earthy blues to the syrupy sweet arrangements of Guy Lombardo, to Latin American folksongs, to classical symphonies and opera. Armstrong incorporated influences from all these sources into his performances, sometimes to the bewilderment of fans who wanted Armstrong to stay in convenient narrow categories. Armstrong was inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence. Some of his solos from the 1950s, such as the hard rocking version of "Saint Louis Blues" from the WC Handy album, show that the influence went in both directions.

Related Topics:
Guy Lombardo - Opera - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Hard rocking - Saint Louis Blues

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