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Louis Daniel Armstrong (4 August 1901 – July 6, 1971) (he preferred his given
name pronounced as Lewis; also known by the nicknames Satchmo, for satchel-mouth,
and Pops) was an American jazz musician. 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. One of the most famous jazz musicians
of the 20th century, he first achieved fame as a trumpeter, but toward the end of
his career he was best known as a vocalist and was one of the most influential jazz
singers.
 Early
life
Armstrong was born into a very poor family in New Orleans, Louisiana. He spent his
youth in poverty in a rough neighborhood of uptown New Orleans, as his father,
William Armstrong (1881-1922), abandoned the family when Louis was an infant. His
mother, Mary Albert Armstrong (1886–1942), then left him and his younger sister
Beatrice Armstrong Collins (1903–1987) under the upbringing of his grandmother
Josephine Armstrong. He first learned to play the cornet (his first of which was
bought with money loaned to him by the Karnofskys, a Russian-Jewish immigrant
family) in the band of the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs, where he had been
sent multiple times for general delinquency, most notably for a long term after (as
police records show) firing his stepfather's pistol into the air at a New Year's
Eve celebration. To express gratitude towards the Karnofskys, Armstrong wore a Star
of David pendant for the rest of his life. He followed the city's frequent brass
band parades and listened to older musicians every chance he got, learning from
Bunk Johnson, Buddy Petit, Black Benny and above all Joe "King" Oliver, who acted
as a mentor and almost a father figure to the young Armstrong. Armstrong later
played in the brass bands and riverboats of New Orleans, and first started
traveling with the well-regarded band of Fate Marable which toured on a steamboat
up and down the Mississippi River; he described his time with Marable as "going to
the University", since it gave him a much wider experience working with written
arrangements. When Joe Oliver left town in 1919, Armstrong took Oliver's place in
Kid Ory's band, regarded as the top hot jazz band in the city.
Early
career
MugglesOn March 19, 1918, Louis married Daisy Parker, a prostitute from Gretna,
Louisiana. They adopted a 3-year-old boy, Clarence Armstrong, whose mother, Louis's
cousin Fiona, died soon after giving birth. Louis's marriage to Parker failed
quickly and they separated. In 1922, Armstrong joined the exodus to Chicago, where
he had been invited by Joe "King" Oliver to join his Creole Jazz Band. Oliver's
band was the best and most influential hot jazz band in Chicago in the early 1920s,
at a time when Chicago was the center of jazz. Armstrong made his first recordings,
including taking some solos and breaks, while playing second cornet in Oliver's
band in 1923.
Armstrong was happy working with Oliver, but his second wife, pianist Lil Hardin
Armstrong, urged him to seek more prominent billing. He and Oliver parted amicably
in 1924 and Armstrong moved to New York City to play with the Fletcher Henderson
Orchestra, the top African American band of the day. Armstrong switched to the
trumpet to blend in better with the other musicians in his section. His influence
upon Henderson's tenor sax soloist, Coleman Hawkins, can be judged by listening to
the records that the band made during this period. During this time, he also made
many recordings on the side arranged by an old friend from New Orleans, pianist
Clarence Williams; these included small jazz band sides (some of the best pairing
Armstrong with one of Armstrong's few rivals in fiery technique and ideas, Sidney
Bechet) and a series of accompaniments for Blues singers.
Floyd Levin and Louis Armstrong in 1970; photo courtesy Marc Levin.He returned to
Chicago, in 1925, and began recording under his own name with his famous Hot Five
and Hot Seven with such hits as "Potato Head Blues", "Muggles" (a reference to
marijuana, for which Armstrong had a lifelong fondness), and "West End Blues", the
music of which set the standard and the agenda for jazz for many years to come. His
recordings with Earl "Fatha" Hines (most famously their 1928 "Weatherbird" duet)
and Armstrong's trumpet introduction to "West End Blues" remain some of the most
famous and influential improvisations in jazz history.
In the late Twenties Armstrong began to experience problems with his fingers and
lips, which were aggravated by his unorthodox playing style. As result he began to
branch out and develop his vocal style, and make his first theatrical
appearances.
Armstrong returned to New York, in 1929, where he played in the pit orchestra of
the successful musical Hot Chocolate, an all-black revue written by Andy Razaf and
Fats Waller. He also made a cameo appaearance as a vocalist, regularly stealing the
show with his rendition of "Ain't Misbehavin' ", and his version of the song became
his biggest selling record to date.
Armstrong had considerable success with vocal recordings, including versions of
famous songs composed by his old friend Hoagy Carmichael. His Thirties recordings
took full advantage of the new RCA ribbon microphone, introduced in 1931, which
imparted a characteristic warmth to vocals and immediately became an intrinsic part
of the 'crooning' sound of performers like Bing Crosby.
Armstrong's famous interpretation of "Stardust" became one of the most successful
versions of this song ever recorded, showcasing Armstrong's unique vocal sound and
style and his innovative approach to singing songs that had already become
standards.
Armstrong's radical re-working of Sidney Arodin and Carmichael's "Lazy River"
(recorded in 1931) encapsulates many features of his groundbreaking approach to
melody and phrasing. The song begins with a brief trumpet solo, then the main
melody is stated by sobbing horns, which are memorably punctuated by Armstrong's
growling interjections at the end of each bar: "Yeah! ..."Uh-huh" ..."Sure" ...
"Way down, way down".
In the first verse, he ignores the notated melody entirely, and sings as if playing
a trumpet solo, pitching most of the first line on a single note and using strongly
syncopated phrasing. In the second stanza he breaks into an almost fully improvised
melody, which then evolves into a classic passage of Armstrong 'scat singing'.
As with his trumpet playing, Armstrong's vocal innovations served as a foundation
stone for the art of jazz vocal interpretation. The uniquely gritty colouration of
his voice became a musical archetype that was much imitated and endlessly
impersonated. His scat singing style was enriched by his matchless experience as a
trumpet soloist, and his resonant, velvety lower-register tone and bubbling
cadences on sides such as "Lazy River" exerted a huge influence on younger white
singers such as Bing Crosby.
Armstrong moved to Los Angeles in 1930; then toured Europe. After spending many
years on the road, he settled permanently in Queens, New York in 1943 in
contentment with his fourth wife, Lucille. Although subject to the vicissitudes of
Tin Pan Alley and the gangster-ridden music business, he continued to develop his
playing.
During the subsequent thirty years, Armstrong played more than three hundred gigs a
year. Bookings for big bands tapered off during the 1940s due to changes in public
tastes: ballrooms closed, and there was competition from television and from other
types of music becoming more popular than big band music. It became impossible to
support and finance a 16-piece touring band.
The All
Stars
Following a highly successful small-group jazz concert at New York Town Hall on May
17, 1947, featuring Armstrong with Jack Teagarden, Armstrong's manager Joe Glaser
dissolved the Armstrong big band on August 13, 1947 and established a six-piece
small group featuring Armstrong with (initially) Teagarden, Earl Hines and other
top swing and dixieland musicians. The new group was announced at the opening of
Billy Berg's Supper Club.
This group was called the All Stars, and included at various times Barney Bigard,
Edmond Hall, Jack Teagarden, Trummy Young, Arvell Shaw, Billy Kyle, Marty Napoleon,
Big Sid Catlett, Cozy Cole and Barrett Deems. During this period, Armstrong made
many recordings and appeared in over thirty films. In 1964, he recorded his
biggest-selling record, Hello, Dolly!. The song went to #1 on the pop chart, making
Armstrong the oldest person to ever accomplish that feat at age 63. In the process,
Armstrong dislodged The Beatles from the #1 position they had occupied for 14
consecutive weeks with three different songs.
Armstrong kept up his busy tour schedule until a few years before his death. While
in his later years, he would sometimes play some of his numerous gigs by rote, but
other times would enliven the most mundane gig with his vigorous playing, often to
the astonishment of his band. He also toured Africa, Europe, and Asia under
sponsorship of the US State Department with great success and become known as
"Ambassador Satch". While failing health restricted his schedule in his last years,
within those limitations he continued playing until the day he died.
Personality
The nickname Satchmo or Satch is short for Satchelmouth (describing his
embouchure). In 1932, then Melody Maker magazine editor Percy Brooks greeted
Armstrong in London with "Hello, Satchmo!" shortening Satchelmouth (some say
unintentionally), and it stuck.
Early on he was also known as Dippermouth. This is a reference to the propensity he
had for refreshing himself with the dipper (ladle) from a bucket of sugar water
which was always present on stage with Joe Oliver's band in Chicago in the early
nineteen-twenties.
The damage to his embouchure from his high pressure approach to playing is acutely
visible in many pictures of Louis from the mid-twenties. It also led to his
emphasizing his singing career because at certain periods, he was unable to play.
This did not stop Louis though, because after setting his trumpet aside for a
while, he amended his playing style and continued his trumpet career. Friends and
fellow musicians usually called him Pops, which is also how Armstrong usually
addressed his friends and fellow musicians (except for Pops Foster, whom Armstrong
always called "George").
Satchmo's autograph from the 1960sHe was also criticized for accepting the title of
"King of The Zulus" (in the New Orleans African American community, an honored role
as head of leading black Carnival Krewe, but bewildering or offensive to outsiders
with their traditional costume of grass-skirts and blackface makeup satirizing
southern white attitudes) for Mardi Gras 1949.
The seeming racial insensitivity of Armstrong's King of the Zulus performance has
sometimes been seen as part of a larger failing on Armstrong's part. Where some saw
a gregarious and outgoing personality, others saw someone trying too hard to appeal
to white audiences and essentially becoming a minstrel caricature. Some musicians
criticized Armstrong for playing in front of segregated audiences, and for not
taking a strong enough stand in the civil rights movement suggesting that he was an
Uncle Tom. Billie Holiday countered, however, "Of course Pops toms, but he toms
from the heart."
Armstrong, in fact, was a major financial supporter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
and other civil rights activists, but mostly preferred to work quietly behind the
scenes, not mixing his politics with his work as an entertainer. The few exceptions
made it more effective when he did speak out; Armstrong's criticism of President
Eisenhower, calling him "two-faced" and "gutless" because of his inaction during
the conflict over school desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 made
national news. As a protest, Armstrong canceled a planned tour of the Soviet Union
on behalf of the State Department saying "The way they're treating my people in the
South, the government can go to hell" and that he could not represent his
government abroad when it was in conflict with its own people.
He was an extremely generous man, who was said to have given away almost as much
money as he kept for himself. Armstrong was also greatly concerned with his health
and bodily functions. He made frequent use of laxatives as a means of controlling
his weight, a practice he advocated both to personal acquaintances and in the diet
plans he published under the title Lose Weight the Satchmo Way. Armstrong's
laxative of preference in his younger days was Pluto Water, but he then became an
enthusiastic convert when he discovered the herbal remedy Swiss Kriss; he would
extol its virtues to anyone who would listen and pass out packets to everyone he
encountered, including members of the British Royal Family. (Armstrong also
appeared in humorous, albeit risqué, advertisements for Swiss Kriss; the ads bore a
picture of him sitting on a toilet — as viewed through a keyhole — with the slogan
"Satch says, 'Leave it all behind ya!'")
The concern with his health and weight was balanced by his love of food, reflected
in such songs as Big Butter & Egg Man, Cheesecake, Cornet Chop Suey, and,
especially, Struttin’ with Some Barbecue. He kept a strong connection throughout
his life to the cooking of New Orleans, always signing his letters, "Red Beans and
Ricely yours".
Music
Louis Armstrong and trumpet. Photo: Howard Frank ArchivesIn 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.
Armstrong's work in the 1920s shows him playing at the outer limits of his
abilities. The Hot Five 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.
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" when, according to some legends, the sheet music fell on the floor and he
simply started singing nonsense syllables. He also 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.
Iconic photo of Armstrong by William P. GottliebDuring 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. His influence upon Bing Crosby is
particularly important with regard to the subsequent development of popular music:
Crosby admired and copied Armstrong, as is evident on many of his early recordings,
notably "Just One More Chance" (1931). The 'New Grove Dictionary Of Jazz' describes
Crosby's debt to Armstrong in perfect detail, although it does not acknowledge
Armstrong by name: "Crosby...was important in introducing into the mainstream of
popular singing an Afro-American concept of song as a lyrical extension of
speech...His techniques - easing the weight of the breath on the vocal chords,
passing into a head voice at a low register, using forward production to aid
distinct enunciation, singing on consonants (a practice of black singers), and
making discreet use of appoggiaturas, mordents, and slurs to emphasize the text -
were emulated by nearly all later popular singers". Armstrong recorded three albums
with Ella Fitzgerald: Ella and Louis, Ella and 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 among the last of his great
creative recordings, but even oddities like Disney Songs the Satchmo Way are seen
to have their musical moments. And, his participation in Dave Brubeck's
high-concept jazz musical The Real Ambassadors was critcially acclaimed. For the
most part, however, his later output was criticized as being overly simplistic or
repetitive.
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.
In 1964, Armstrong knocked the Beatles off the top of the Billboard Top 100 chart
with "Hello, Dolly", which gave the 63-year-old performer a U.S. record as the
oldest artist to have a #1 song. In 1968, Armstrong scored one last popular hit in
the United Kingdom with the highly sentimental pop song "What a Wonderful World",
which topped the British charts for a month; however, the single did not chart at
all in America. The song gained greater currency in the popular consciousness when
it was used in the 1987 movie Good Morning Vietnam, its subsequent rerelease
topping many charts around the world.
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.
Death and
legacy
Louis Armstrong died of a heart attack on July 6, 1971, at age 69, the night after
playing a famous show at the Waldorf Astoria's Empire Room. He was residing in
Corona, Queens, New York City, at the time of his passing. He was interred in
Flushing Cemetery, Flushing, in Queens, New York City.
Today, the house where Louis Armstrong lived at the time of his death (and which
was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977) is a museum. The Louis Armstrong
House & Archives, at 34-56 107th Street (between 34th and 35th Avenues) in
Corona, Queens, presents concerts and educational programs, operates as an historic
house museum and makes materials in its archives of writings, books, recordings and
memorabilia available to the public for research. The museum is operated by the
City University of New York's Queens College, following the dictates of Armstrong’s
will.
The museum was opened to the public on October 15, 2003. In 2005, it was among 406
New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million
grant from the Carnegie Corporation, which was made possible through a donation by
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.
The influence of Armstrong on the development of jazz is virtually immeasurable.
Yet, his irrepressible personality both as a performer, and as a public figure
later in his career, was so strong that to some it sometimes overshadowed his
contributions as a musician and singer.
As a virtuoso trumpet player, Armstrong had a unique tone and an extraordinary
talent for melodic improvisation. Through his playing, the trumpet emerged as a
solo instrument in jazz and is used widely today. He was a masterful accompanist
and ensemble player in addition to his extraordinary skills as a soloist. With his
innovations, he raised the bar musically for all who came after him.
Armstrong is considered by some to have essentially invented jazz singing. He had
an extremely distinctive gravelly voice, which he deployed with great dexterity as
an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He
was also greatly skilled at scat singing, or wordless vocalizing. Billie Holiday
and Frank Sinatra are just two singers who were greatly indebted to him. Holiday
said that she always wanted Bessie Smith's 'big' sound and Armstrong's feeling in
her singing.
On August 4, 2001, the centennial of Armstrong's birth, New Orleans' airport was
renamed Louis Armstrong International Airport in his honor.
Source : Some of the information on this page came
from a Wikipedia article and is licensed under the GNU Documentation
License. ©2008 www.geneticmatrix.com.
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Louis
Armstrong - Manifesting Generator - Biography
