[Dixielandjazz] Louis Armstrong Article The Guardian

[Richard Pearl]

Whoever wrote this is a moron. He has no idea of what Louis did for music and his people. And, he did it during a very difficult era. I wonder what that guy does that's an great.

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________________________________
From: Marek Boym <marekboym at gmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 19, 2020 7:21:16 PM
To: Rich Pearl <banjomobile at msn.com>
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Louis Armstrong Article The Guardian

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<mailto: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<mailto:rsr at ringwald.com>
www.ringwald.com<http://www.ringwald.com>

"We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.
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