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Louis ArmstrongLouis Armstrong

Recordings of Louis Armstrong are broadcast and listened to every day throughout the world, and are honored in various forms of media. Most familiar to modern listeners is his ubiquitous rendition of “What a Wonderful World.” The fact that his work remains popular more than three decades since his passing is a testament to the impact he had on the music recording industry, particularly in the jazz genre. More memorable than his songs were his distinct voice and masterful trumpet playing, and more memorable still was his influence as an extraordinary jazz artist with a love for music and life.

Being Beneath the Dirt

Louis Armstrong, a grandson of slaves, was born into a very poor family in New Orleans, Louisiana. His dad abandoned the family when Louis was an infant, leaving Louis in the care of his mother and her relatives. He spent his youth in poverty, in a highly segregated city, at the bottom of the social ladder.

As he transitioned from poverty to wealth, as a virtuoso performer, Armstrong faced devastating circumstances that threatened to end his career early. His troubles with the law included being convicted of marijuana possession. Far worse, he experienced heavy debt and even mob troubles. Armstrong also began to experience problems with his fingers and lips, which were aggravated by his unorthodox playing style. The damage to his embouchure from his high pressure approach to playing is acutely visible in many pictures of Louis from the mid-20s.

Branching Out Roots for Balance

As a result of the adverse circumstances during the depressions of the early 1930s, Louis Armstrong branched out. He left Chicago, where he had been living, and went home to New Orleans, where he was happily welcomed. At that point, he began to seriously hone-in on his vocal style. During periods when he was unable to play the trumpet, he emphasized his singing. Armstrong played around with his vocals, shortening and lengthening phrases, interjecting improvisations, using his voice as creatively as his trumpet.

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. Scat singing became a major part of his performances. Plus, with his trumpet set aside for a while, he was able to amend his playing style to allow him to continue his trumpet career. During this time, Armstrong played more than three hundred gigs a year.

Rising like a Surfacing Stem

In his youth and throughout his emergence as a master of the trumpet, he hung out in dance halls in the red lights district, where he listened to the bands playing in the brothels and dance halls. Famous musicians occasionally dropped in to jam. He listened to older musicians every chance he got.

Armstrong’s musicianship began to mature in his late teens, especially through his experience in a riverboat band. At 20, he could read music and he started to be featured in extended trumpet solos, one of the first jazzmen to do this, injecting his own personality and style into his solo turns. His success on the riverboat led to an invitation to join a prominent band in Chicago, where he made sufficient income so that he no longer needed to supplement his music with day labor jobs.

Reaching Fruition

The uniquely gritty coloration of his voice, as with his trumpet playing, became a musical archetype that was much admired and endlessly imitated. His scat singing style was enriched by his matchless experience as a trumpet soloist. 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.

In 1964, he recorded his biggest-selling record, “Hello, Dolly!” The song went to #1 on the pop chart, making Armstrong (age 63) the oldest person to ever accomplish that feat. In the process, Armstrong dislodged The Beatles from the #1 position they had occupied for 14 consecutive weeks with three different songs.

Leaving a Legacy

Louis 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 playing was filled with joyous melodies and daring, sophisticated improvisations, honed by constant practice, which extended the range, tone, and capabilities of the trumpet. With his innovations, he raised the bar musically for all who came after him.

The influence of Armstrong on the Development of jazz is virtually immeasurable. Through his playing, the trumpet emerged as a solo instrument in jazz and is used widely today. Armstrong was an innovative performer whose improvised soloing was the main influence for a fundamental change in jazz, shifting its focus from collective improvisation to the solo player and improvised soloing.

Disclaimer: Mud Puds bios are derived from widely-accepted “truths,” as shared in the Public Domain. In the absence of first-hand accounts, information is presented as: “Factual, as far as we know.”

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