Armstrongs unique singing and masterful improvisation transitioned jazz from the traditional style to a newer, more rhythmic style. Flappers were commonly known during this time. It did not gain as much notice in the U.S. until 1987, when it was used in the film Good Morning, Vietnam, after which it became a Top 40 hit. He performed in Europe for the first time in 1932 and returned in 1933, staying for over a year because of a damaged lip. To earn money, Armstrong sang on street corners, sold newspapers, and delivered coal. They were always kind to me, Armstrong once reflected, [I] was just a little kid who could use a little word of kindness. Apart from monetary compensation, Armstrong was given a hot meal every evening and regular invitations to Karnofsky Shabbat dinners. WebLouis Armstrongas a musician, as a man, as an icon. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The song for which Pops is most widely remembered, What a Wonderful World, was almost never his song at all. Wiki User. Read Full Biography. In 16967, Armstrong recorded his most renowned tune, What a Wonderful Word that surprisingly featured no trumpet. Related. His greatest inspiration was Joe King Oliver. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. Armstrong accepted, and he was soon taking Chicago by storm with both his remarkably fiery playing and the dazzling two-cornet breaks that he shared with Oliver. He first came to prominence in the 1920s as a trumpeter and cornet player with no technique as well as being very skilled in scat singing, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, influencing many later jazz artists as well as shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance.With his very well-known and recognizable gravelly voice, a technique that was later named crooning, Armstrong was an incredibly influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser by bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes on demand. In a strange turn of events, it was during this tour that Armstrong's career fell apart: Years of blowing high notes had taken a toll on Armstrong's lips, and, following a fight with his manager Johnny Collins who already managed to get Armstrong into trouble with the Mafia he was left stranded overseas by Collins. He influenced other jazz musicians by his fearless trumpet styles and distinctive vocals. The new style that he created gave a voice-like quality to his horn. Without the jazz musicians, jazz music would not have been possible. In 1924, Armstrong married Hardin, who urged Armstrong to leave Oliver and try to make it on his own. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. He also learned to sing. His rise to the top, though not overnight, occurred quickly, he played with mostly all the major bands in New Orleans over the next few years (Friedwald 350). See answer (1) Best Answer. He spent the next several years in Europe, his American career maintained by a series of archival recordings, including the Top Ten hits "Sweethearts on Parade" (August 1932; recorded December 1930) and "Body and Soul" (October 1932; recorded October 1930). By the end of his teens, Armstrong had grown up fast. Louis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. One of the first soloists on record, Louis was at the forefront of changing jazz from ensemble-oriented folk music into an art form that emphasized inventive solo improvisations. Armstrong returned home in May 1971, and though he soon resumed playing again and promised to perform in public once more, he died in his sleep on July 6, 1971, at his home in Queens, New York. With the decline of swing music in the post-World War II years, Armstrong broke up his big band and put together a small group dubbed His All-Stars, which made its debut in Los Angeles on August 13, 1947. Because of his long improvised solos, he inspired jazz so that long solos became an important part of jazz pieces and performances. Armstrong was an African American child growing up in the slums of New Orleans, close to abandonment, impoverished, and with too few constant people, resources, or homes. In 1972, a year after his death, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. His distinctive sound and style have had a lasting impact on the genre, and he was a major influence on subsequent generations of jazz musicians. No ones quite sure why Armstrong lied about his age, but the most popular theories maintain he wanted to join a military band or that he figured he'd have a better shot at landing gigs if he was over 18 years old. He made his first recordings with Oliver on April 5, 1923; that day, he earned his first recorded solo on "Chimes Blues.". One of the first soloists on record, Louis was at the forefront of changing jazz from ensemble-oriented folk music into an art form that emphasized inventive solo improvisations. As swing and jazz was dominant as the pop music of the early 20th century, his influence is also evident in the transition from swing and jump blues into rock and roll. He returned to Chicago in the spring of 1932 to front a band led by Zilner Randolph; the group toured around the country. It was also for Columbia that Armstrong scored one of the biggest hits of his career: His jazz transformation of Kurt Weill's "Mack the Knife. Wiki User. Today, these are generally regarded as the most important and influential recordings in jazz history; on these records, Armstrong's virtuoso brilliance helped transform jazz from an ensemble music to a soloist's art. Because of Armstrongs brilliance, his records such as Cornet Chop Suey and Potato Head Blues are esteemed because of his risky rhythmic choices and high notes. The first important trend in New York Jazz was Hot Jazz that was an incendiary style introduced by Louis Armstrong (Winfield 170). Duke Ellingtons sense of musical drama was the one that made him stand out from all of the rest., Armstrong became the best jazz soloist on Broadway (Louis Armstrong 1). The civil rights movement was growing stronger with each passing year, with more protests, marches and speeches from African Americans wanting equal rights. Armstrong continued to tour extensively, despite a heart attack in June 1959. Members of the group, at one time or another, included Jack Teagarden, Earl Hines, Sid Catlett, Barney Bigard, Trummy Young, Edmond Hall, Billy Kyle and Tyree Glenn, among other jazz legends. Doctors advised him not to play but Armstrong continued to practice every day in his Corona, Queens home, where he had lived with his fourth wife, Lucille, since 1943. WebAnswer (1 of 2): Armstrongs first brass instrument and initial training was on the cornet, which is generally easier for younger or beginning players to learn and slightly smaller in size. He took up work in Joe (King) Olivers house, doing chores in exchange for musical lessons, developing into a. Louis Armstrong is a man of many talents and skills known for creating a new environment, especially in his home town of New Orleans. he put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. He wrote songs such as The Pearls, Millenburg Joys, Mr. Only Charlie Parker comes close to having as much influence on the history of Jazz as Louis Armstrong did. Louis Armstrong was important in the 1920's because he put a whole new meaning to jazz. William Armstrong, his father, was a factory worker who abandoned the family soon after the boy's birth. Armstrong was the primary ever "Genius" of jazz music. Legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow followed Armstrong with a camera crew on some of his worldwide excursions, turning the resulting footage into a theatrical documentary, Satchmo the Great, released in 1957. Armstrong was featured in the 1969 film of Hello, Dolly!, performing the title song as a duet with Barbra Streisand. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. He sang much as he played, but with a playfulness and a rasp, that would forever be part of American culture (Winfield 167). A jazz pioneer, Louis Armstrong was the first important soloist to emerge in jazz, and he became the most influential musician in the music's history. Armstrong brought. Louis gave jazz music a purpose. The letters, dated as far back as 1968, prove that Armstrong had indeed always believed Sharon to be his daughter, and that he even paid for her education and home, among several other things, throughout his life. Armstrong continued to appear in major films with the likes of Mae West, Martha Raye and Dick Powell. The pistol should have been stored in a locked, Armstrong did not define himself by his background and could have grown up to be just another poor child from a broken home. Armstrong was brought up by his mother, Mary (Albert) Armstrong, and his maternal grandmother. When Pops (who adored Thiele and Weiss masterwork) passed away on July 6, 1971, What a Wonderful World seemed destined for stateside obscurity. A series of new biographies on Armstrong made his role as a civil rights pioneer abundantly clear and, subsequently, argued for an embrace of his entire career's output, not just the revolutionary recordings from the 1920s. Even the scepter of Uncle Tom that shadowed the outsized Satchmo during his career, and that Ellington essentially concurred with in an interview with Carter Harman in 1964, has faded. For the first time, Armstrong was really able to demonstrate his unique voice during those recording sessions. He was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. Famous for his innovative methods of playing the trumpet and cornet, he was also a highly talented singer, blessed with a powerful gravelly voice. Known for his improvisation, Armstrong could induce dramatic effects with his music. After being released at age fourteen, he worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart. Louis Armstrong was an outstanding jazz musician during the Harlem Renaissance Era. WebThrough the internet and books we find out why Louis Armstrong is such a great person to learn about. Contracted to OKeh Records, he began to make a series of recordings with studio-only groups called the Hot Fives or the Hot Sevens. Armstrong was featured nightly on Ain't Misbehavin', breaking up the crowds of (mostly white) theatergoers nightly. WebImportance of Louis Armstrong. Meanwhile, Armstrong's reputation as a musician continued to grow: In 1918, he replaced Oliver in Kid Ory's band, then the most popular band in New Orleans. "What a Wonderful World" peaked on the U.S. music charts after Armstrong passed away. Being in many bands before he was not new to this. Armstrong soon began dating the female pianist in the band, Lillian Hardin. What a Wonderful World struck a chord with moviegoers and was re-released that year, becoming an oft-requested radio hit. He was arrested for firing a pistol in His mother, who often turned to prostitution, frequently left him with his maternal grandmother. This led some to alter his long-time nickname, Satchmo, to "Ambassador Satch.". The first recording of What a Wonderful World was produced by ABC Records, which made no attempt to advertise it domestically. Then along came a bare-knuckled comedy called Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). He showed an early interest in music, and a junk dealer for whom he worked as a grade-school student helped him buy a cornet, which he taught himself to play. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. He is remembered as the most influential artist in the early development of jazz. As a trumpet virtuoso, his playing, beginning with the 1920s studio recordings he made with his Hot Five and Hot Seven ensembles, charted a future for jazz in highly imaginative, emotionally charged improvisation. Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. Armstrong's daring vocal transformations of these songs completely changed the concept of popular singing in American popular music, and had lasting effects on all singers who came after him, including Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. The records by Louis Armstrong and His Fiveand later, Hot Sevenare the most influential in jazz. The jazz magazine Down Beat agreed. With his infectious smile and raspy voice, Louis Armstrong (who actually pronounced his own name "Lewis") won over fans worldwide. He was born into poverty on August 4, 1901 in the streets of Back o Town (Meckna). ", Armstrong signed with Columbia Records in the mid-'50s, and soon cut some of the finest albums of his career for producer George Avakian, including Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. However, Armstrong's southern background didn't mesh well with the more urban, Northern mentality of Henderson's other musicians, who sometimes gave Armstrong a hard time over his wardrobe and the way he talked. We all do 'do re mi,' but you have got to find the other notes yourself. While performing with Tate in 1926, Armstrong finally switched from the cornet to the trumpet. Another one of Armstrongs notable qualities, scat singing (wordless singing/mummering) was also popularized during this. If the gun was not so easily accessible, his firing it and being arrested could have been prevented. In 1936, Louis Armstrong became the first African American jazz musician to write an autobiography, Swing That Music. At the mention jazz music, that person will first think of is likely to be a great figure with a clown image, nicknamed Satchmo. Though he was the product's biggest cheerleader, Armstrong neither requested nor received any payment from its manufacturers. That same year, Armstrong married for the fourth and final time; he wed Lucille Wilson, a Cotton Club dancer. He was released on June 16, 1914, and did manual labor while trying to establish himself as a musician. Louis continued to spread his style by touring other countries. He would attend parades, funerals, churches and go to cheap cabarets to be able to hear some of the greats play, Little Louis sung in a vocal quartet in his early teens. Louis Armstrong was an American jazz musician who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. In December of that year, he was called into the studio to record the title number for a Broadway show that hadn't opened yet: Hello, Dolly! Armstrong played the trumpet so powerfully that he often split his lip. How did Louis Armstrong influence others? He was known for both his joyous ways with the trumpet and his peculiarly touching and funny vocal style. You feel butterflies in your stomach as you take your seat. He was soon able to stop working manual labor jobs and began concentrating full-time on his cornet, playing parties, dances, funeral marches and at local "honky-tonks"a name for small bars that typically host musical acts. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. The 1930s also found Armstrong achieving great popularity on radio, in films, and with his recordings. Renowned for his charming and incredibly charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet and/or cornet playing, Armstrong 's influence extends far beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the early 1970s at his death, he was widely regarded as a deep and profound influence on popular music in general. During this time, Armstrong taught the band how to swing. These records later went on to become the most influential in jazz history, as it was the first time Armstrong facilitated the evolution of jazz as a ensemble to a soloist art. He adds, "He was also more than a jazz musician he was an enormously popular entertainer"(pp. He was raised by his mother Mayann in a neighborhood so dangerous it was called The Battlefield. He only had a fifth-grade education, dropping out of school early to go to work. She pushed her husband to cut ties with his mentor and join Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra, the top African American dance band in New York City at the time. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song. A YouTube poster named pandasthumb describes the piece. Previously, Armstrong had performed throughout Europe, Asia, and Africathough he famously canceled a planned 1957 Soviet Union tour, citing the recent Little Rock crisis. Armstrong had access to guns and decided to borrow a .38 that one of his stepfathers stored in a trunk in the Armstrong home (67). Louis Armstrong was a jazz trumpeter, bandleader and singer known for songs like "What a Wonderful World, Hello, Dolly, Star Dust and "La Vie En Rose.. Armstrong's four marriages never produced any children, and because he and wife Lucille Wilson had actively tried for years to no avail, many believed him to be sterile, incapable of having children. Together with his mom, they moved to a better area of New Orleans. Mentored by the citys top cornetist, Joe King Oliver, Armstrong soon became one of the most in-demand cornetists in town, eventually working steadily on Mississippi riverboats. The boy's mother, Armstrong's cousin, had died in childbirth. WebRather than appealing simply to the crowd of already established jazz lovers, Louis Armstrong was effective at bridging the gap and reaching out to those that may not have been as familiar with the genre and effectively serving as one of the best ambassadors that the jazz world has ever known. We contributed Louis Armstrong. During his time there, he learned how to play the bugle cornet, an instrument that is similar to the trumpet. Louis's Father left him around childbirth, and his mother often used prostitution for money. Within a span of three years, Armstrong recorded over sixty records. These views changed in 1957, when Armstrong saw the Little Rock Central High School integration crisis on television. Though his popularity was hitting new highs in the 1950s, and despite breaking down so many barriers for his race and being a hero to the African American community for so many years, Armstrong began losing his standing with two segments of his audience: Modern jazz fans and young African Americans. He popularized scat singing and was the first musician to have his solo on a recording (Rodgers 85). He faced tremendous adversity, ignorance and hatred in his life, and fought back without sinking to the level of those who opposed him. Armstrong defined what it was to play Jazz. Armstrong moved to Chicago to join Oliver's band in August 1922 and made his first recordings as a member of the group in the spring of 1923. Within a span of three years, Armstrong recorded over sixty records. To grasp how much the man adored this entre, consider that he often signed his personal letters with Red Beans and Ricely Yours.. An early job working for the Jewish Karnofsky family allowed Armstrong to make enough money to purchase his first cornet. Since New Orleans style jazz known to man, it was one of the broadest genres of jazz. Jelly Roll, Doctor Jazz, Original Jelly Roll Blues, and many other famous pieces. Copy. In 1938, Armstrong finally divorced Lil Hardin and married Alpha Smith, whom he had been dating for more than a decade. He interprets and contributes to the genre of jazz, creates great form through his performance in the Hot Chocolates, and his work represents a whole for equality and the civil rights movement. WebLouis Armstrong is arguably the most important musician that the United States has ever produced (Shipton 160). Louis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. He grew up in New Orleans where he introduced to jazz and he went on to spread jazz throughout different cities such as Chicago and New York. Millions of people, starting in the 1930s until today, have agreed with Louis Armstrongs famous words and have been huge fans of the famous musician. Eventually tour ended and Louis went back home to continue his. They also encouraged him to sing and often invited him into their home for meals. Born, August 4, 1901 he started off in a harder life than most people usually do. Fletcher Henderson also influenced jazz music. There was a cheerful impatience in his playing, an optimistic confidence that led him to risk going over the top (Shipton 157). Armstrong joined Henderson in the fall of 1924 and immediately made his presence felt with a series of solos that introduced the concept of swing music to the band. Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Thereafter until his death in 1971, however, Armstrong never publicly addressed whether he was in fact Sharon's father. One day, they even advanced him the $5 he used to buy his very first horn. I play the good kind (Armstrong). The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. Blessed with, Armstrong was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. Not a single jazz musician who had previously criticized him took his side but today, this is seen as one of the bravest, most definitive moments of Armstrong's life. Why was Louis Armstrong important to New Orleans? Why Is Louis Armstrong Important. During his span, he composed thousands of songs for everyone to hear. After trying it, he said that defecation sounded like Applause. Enamored, the musician began handing out packets to admirers, loved ones, and band members. WebDid You Know? Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans Louisinana, to Mayann, and Willie Armstrong. Louis does a really important trip to Africa this were the states or cities that he went with Cameroon, the Belgian Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Sierra Leone Jul 6, 1971. The sadest event Two days after his birthday of turning 70, Louis Satchmo didn't let the criticism stop him, however, and he returned an even bigger star when he began a longer tour throughout Europe in 1933. All Rights Reserved. Louis was able to get hired as a junk collecter and coal deliverer. In recent years, Armstrong's alleged daughter, who now goes by the name Sharon Preston Folta, has publicized various letters between her and her father. Given that Armstrong was only 11, it was (one of) his stepfathers who was responsible for the whole series of events. Armstrong could make an audience cheer, but Roy Eldridge, made those top and bottom notes feel like a natural part of what the horn should do (Friedwald 21). He was an all-star virtuoso, and came to prominence in the 1920s playing cornet and trumpet with an excitingly new and improvisational style.

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