[Dixielandjazz] Louis Armstrong Article The Guardian

[Marek Boym]

I remember well the accusations of the militant blacks that Armstrong was
an "Uncle Tom."  What they failed to realize was that they could speak that
way very much thanks to Armstrong's achievements.  He was even the first
black American to introduce himself on southern media, after the white NO
announcer said that he couldn't bring himself to introduce "that nigger."
I also remember the discussions whether Armstrong's "creative period" was
over after the Hot Fives and Sevens, the claims that he "sold out" when he
started playing and singing with big bands, and that he finally came back
to roots when he disbanded the big band and organized the All Stars.
The article in question actually emphasises Armstrong's achievements and
refutes his detractors.
To me, while I won't go as far as to say "Armstrong could do no wrong," he
is the undisputable King of Jazz.
The problem with writing about jazz was that the approach thereto was
"sociological" rather than musical.  Disregarding the circumstances is
nonsensical, but music should be judged by its own values.  Had Armstrong
been white, his path would have been much easier, of course, and all the
"uncle Tom" nonsense would have been avoided.  But he was black, a product
of the New Orleans ghetto, which makes his rise to greatness even more
wondrous.  He was the greatest!  When I listen to his various recordings of
the same numbers with the All Stars, ostensibly played the same way all the
time, I still hear the difference between versions - inflection, tone?
Cheers

On Fri, 18 Dec 2020 at 02:16, Robert Ringwald <rsr at ringwald.com> wrote:

> What a bunch of horse shit!
>
>
> https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/dec/17/not-a-wonderful-world-louis-armstrong-was-hated-by-so-many?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-1
>
> -Bob
>
> Bob Ringwald
> Amateur (ham) Radio Station K6YBV
> rsr at ringwald.com
> www.ringwald.com
>
> "We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way
> through Congress.
> - Will Rogers, B11/4/1879 - D8/15/1935
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