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Louis Armstrong
1901 - 1971
Louis Armstrong was possibly the greatest jazz musician of all
time, certainly the most influential of them all. Fellow musicians
called him “stachelmouth” because of his huge, wide grin,
later, shortened to “Sachmo”. Louis Daniel Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in the
Storyville District of New Orleans. It was a rough and tumble neighbourhood,
populated by street toughs and so crowded that one could barely find standing
room. His father was a labourer who His amazing technical
abilities, spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive, musical mind still
dominate Jazz to this day. Only Charlie Parker comes close to having as much
influence on the history of Jazz as Louis Armstrong did. Perhaps if he hadn’t fired a pistol into the air to
celebrate New Year's 1913, Armstrong might have never been a professional
musician at all. Then a 12-year-old boy he was arrested by a very annoyed
police officer and sent to the New Orleans Colored Waifs' Home for Boys to
ponder his infamy. Fortunately for Louis, and
the musical world as well, he fell under the influence of Peter Davis, the
home’s
musical instructor. Davis recognized the talent in the young black boy. He
taught him singing, percussion and, finally, the cornet. After being released
at age fourteen, he worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal
from a cart. He didn't own an instrument at this time, but continued to
listen to bands at clubs, Joe
"King" Oliver was his favourite and the older man acted
as a father to Louis, even giving him his first real cornet. In 1919, Armstrong was so
deft that he moved to St. Louis to join Fate Marable’s band. It was an exciting two years
for young Louis because Marable’s band played on paddle wheelers owned by the Streckfus
Mississippi Boat Lines. The young musician spent most of his time playing the
river and playing to appreciative riverboat passengers. Louis stayed with Marable
until 1921 when he returned to New Orleans and played in Zutty Singleton's.
He also played in parades with the Allen Brass Band, and on the bandstand
with Papa Celestin's Tuxedo Orchestra, and the Silver Leaf Band. When King
Oliver left the city in By the middle 1920s, Louis
Armstrong’s
star was rapidly rising. He formed a band called the “Hot Five” and cut his first records for Okeh
in 1925, including the famous rendition of “St. Louis Blues” with Bessie Smith. The Hot Five --
later the Hot Seven -- existed for three years, but never played a live date.
Rather it was formed for recording purposes only. In the meantime, Armstrong
continued playing in other bands. For the next two years
Armstrong played with Carroll Dickerson's Savoy Orchestra and with Clarence
Jones' Orchestra in Chicago. By 1929 Louis was becoming a very big star. He
toured with the show "Hot Chocolates" and appeared occasionally
with the Luis Russell Orchestra, with Dave Peyton, and with Fletcher
Henderson. Armstrong moved to Los Angeles in 1930 where he fronted a band
called Louis Armstrong and his Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra. In 1931
he returned to Chicago and assembled his own band for touring purposes. In
June of that year he returned to New Orleans for the first time since he left
in 1922 to join King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Armstrong was greeted as a
hero, but racism marred his return when a White radio announcer refused to
mention Armstrong on the air and a free concert that Louis was going to give
to the cities' African-American population was cancelled at the last minute.
Louis and Lil also separated in 1931. In 1932 he returned to California,
before leaving for England where he was a great success. When he returned in 1935, he
hired Joe Glaser as his manager. Glazer remained until Armstrong’s death in 1971. By the end of World
War II, swing music was on its way out and bands, again, became smaller. At a
Town Hall concert in New York, he
introduced the six piece group that he would use off and on for the rest of
his life -- the Louis Armstrong Allstars They complimented his style
perfectly and over the years featured exceptional musicians like Barney
Bigard, Jack Teagarden, Sidney ‘Big Sid’ Catlett, vocalist Vilma Middleton, and Earl Hines. In
the 1950s, Armstrong teamed up with other singers to make recordings -- Bing
Crosby, Louis Jordan and Gary Crosby. Then in 1957, he made some tracks with Ella Fitzgerald, backed up In 1968 he recorded another
number one hit "What A Wonderful World". His popularity had now
reached its zenith. Armstrong toured the world as an unofficial goodwill
ambassador for America. Then his health began to fail him. For the last three
years of his life he was in and out of the hospital, but he continued
recording and performing until July 6, 1971 when he died in his sleep at home
in Queens, New York. With Louis Armstrong’s death, jazz had lost the world's
greatest Jazz musician and a great master. |
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Live Music Magazine 2007 |
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JAZZ TRAIN |
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