[Dixielandjazz] Louis Armstrong: All That and More

[Marek Boym]

Armstron WAS the greatest of them all!
And the "nine-minute 1954 version  (of the St. Louis Blues) is" not just
"also notable" but probably the best rendition of the tune I've ever
heard.  One snag, though: it's spliced - and I don't mind a bit!
Cheers

On 28 June 2015 at 11:17, Robert Ringwald <rsr at ringwald.com> wrote:

> Louis Armstrong: All That and More
>
>
> by Hal Horowitz
>
> American Songwriter, June 26, 2015
>
>
> Like the timeworn story of the blind men inaccurately describing an
> elephant by examining different parts of it, most listeners’ impression of
> American jazz/pop/blues legend Louis Armstrong is defined by what aspect of
> his multi-decade career they hear. Is he the gravelly-voiced interpreter of
> schlocky white bread show tunes (his cover of “Hello Dolly” famously
> unseated The Beatles from their #1 grasp in 1964) or the Uncle Tom-ish,
> charismatic, handkerchief-holding TV, movie and radio star? Or one of the
> most creative, talented, and genre breaking band leaders, scat singers and
> jazz/blues trumpet players ever to put his lips to a mouthpiece?
>
>
> As with the blind men and the elephant, the truth is he was all this and
> more. His 1971 death (at the relatively young age of 70) ended a
> larger-than-life career that has gained additional respect and gravitas in
> the years since. His story personifies the American dream, despite, or more
> likely because of, how he elevated himself from the humblest of beginnings
> to become a worldwide, commercially successful superstar.
>
>
> Born into poverty in New Orleans, Armstrong was shifted between family
> members and foster homes until landing in a reform school vividly but now
> embarrassingly called the New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs in his early
> teens. This is where he developed the basics of the cornet. He constructed
> his own style and honed his chops while playing on the city’s riverboats
> and in countless brass bands, learning from the multitude of elder
> musicians that populated New Orleans.
>
>
> By 1925 Armstrong was fronting his own bands, notably the Hot Five and Hot
> Seven groups, and expanding his talents into longer, classically oriented
> pieces in addition to perfecting his scat singing. The latter he often
> based on trumpet solos, a unique and idiosyncratic approach. Armstrong is
> credited with the first scat-sung hit, 1926’s “Heebie Jeebies.” Later in
> life he joined scat master Ella Fitzgerald for two joyous albums that
> remain highlights in an extensive catalog. His trumpet work, especially in
> the lower register, was equally as distinctive, famously influencing
> vocalists such as Bing Crosby, as well as other jazz musicians.
>
>
> It’s impossible to choose one song out of Armstrong’s voluminous
> repertoire of dozens of albums as his most representative work. But a 1925
> recording of W.C. Handy’s “St. Louis Blues” (which he recorded often
> throughout the years in both instrumental and vocal interpretations) with
> singer Bessie Smith is perhaps the finest example of his early talents.
> Here Armstrong answers each of Smith’s expressive sentences with his
> visceral and despondent horn. The song is credited as the first blues to
> become a crossover hit.
>
>
> Armstrong’s nine-minute 1954 version is also notable. It not only
> showcases his trumpet lines that answer Velma Middleton’s vocals (he sings
> a few choruses and injects some seemingly off-the-cuff and characteristic
> jive talking), but kicks the tempo as hard as rockabilly, displaying his
> dynamic high-register playing and cutting tone. The entire Louis Armstrong
> Plays W.C. Handy album is an excellent place to start an appreciation of
> the man, since it captures his contagious vocal and instrumental enthusiasm.
>
>
> Nicknamed both Satchmo (sometimes shortened to Satch), reportedly because
> of his wide satchel-like mouth, and Pops (a name he called people whose
> names he could not remember), Armstrong’s crossover popularity made him
> largely immune to the discrimination leveled at black musicians of the era.
> This was partially due to his move from New Orleans to Chicago and New
> York, where race relations were, if not perfect, certainly better,
> especially in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. As one of the first black performers
> to be accepted, even adored, by white audiences, Armstrong was criticized
> by African Americans for not being more vocal about black concerns; he was,
> however, angry enough about President Eisenhower’s lack of action over
> desegregation (specifically in 1957’s Little Rock, Arkansas, school issue)
> to famously cancel a tour of the Soviet Union set up by the State
> department in protest.
>
>
> Although he only won one Grammy while he was alive (for “Hello Dolly”), he
> received a posthumous Lifetime Achievement award in 1972. Armstrong was the
> recipient of other accolades, including a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame
> and a postage stamp in his honor. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included
> his “West End Blues” as one of 500 songs that helped shape the genre, and
> his birthplace legacy proudly lives on in the Louis Armstrong New Orleans
> International Airport.
>
> _____
>
>
> http://www.americansongwriter.com/2015/06/louis-armstrong/
>
>
> This article appears in the May/June 2015 “Blues Issue,” now available on
> newsstands. -30-
>
> Bob Ringwald Solo, Duo, Trio, Quartet
> Fulton Street Jazz Band
> 916/ 806-9551
> www.ringwald.com
> Amateur (ham) Radio K6YBV
>
> I got caught taking a pee in the swimming pool today. The lifeguard
> shouted at me so loud, I nearly fell in.
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