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Louis Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana.
Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. With his instantly-recognizable gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser Read more on Last.fm
For every genre of music that finds a niche, a way into the cerebral conciousness of America, there was first a purveyor of that sound, an architect who’s notions about such things were limited to his or her own originality. Maybe they heard music a certain way and channeled it through themselves, thus birthing a new way of creating sound and a new level of artistic transperancy. Either way, when looking to the movers and shakers, the founding fathers and mothers of modern music, its important to note that certain geniuses took their legacy with them. It’s sad only if you believe it to be true. Some will say it is. I can’t be sure.
Louis Armstrong is the definition of his era, not to mention a cultural oddity, coming at a time when race relations in America were perhaps at their lowest since before the Civil War. He invented the mold that allowed for the Benny Goodmans and the style the allowed for the Billie Holidays and the Ella Fitzgeralds. You’d never have had the Bing Crosby’s or The Sinatras if Louis hadn’t first created the archetype of singing accompanied by stage banter that had the perfect timing. He was, in essence, essential to the pantheon that was, is American music. By and large, he can’t be discounted for what he brought to the table, a showmanship and mastery of Jazz that is lacking in todays plastic, 2-D musical landscape.
His breakthrough in the 20’s, akin to Elvis’s sexual explosion in the 1950’s, flipped the script on Jazz, blues, Broadway and pop. He was a charismatic figure in the face of complicated country, divided racially yet united musically. Perhaps Louis was the very first to notice this anamoly, prompting some hard work on his part to lessen the discussion on race and simply play the trumpet.
He was a singer years before his lips touched the trumpet, a semi-professional at that. What made his gravelly croak so memorable was the inflection of Jazz borrowed from his instrumental capacity, thereby changing the way vocalists used their voice. His playing was a revelation, making Jazz accessible to folks who couldn’t stomach relentless jamming. He compartmentalized the heavy, improvised riffing into quaint, bouncy two and three minute shuffles. It was gloriously original, as well as labored over meticulously. For a Jazz musician, Louis seemed very keen on knowing what notes to play next. This made for a natural progression into the public eye, as well as a place of access in a white upper echelon usually critical of black folks.
Though not a personal lover of sheer grandiosity, Armstrong was smitten with any one aspect of a show that truly thrilled a crowd. His ability to improvise a quick solo was studied and is still scrutinized by band geeks the world over desperately attempting to have the control and the looseness that made Louis such an enigma. He made it all look easy and he did it with a smile bigger than the halls he played in every night.
Armstrong died a forefather, a legacy questioned only by those that didn’t see his slyness in Elvis or his timing in Sinatra. Where Louis made strides was not in reinventing the wheel….but in inventing the original wheel.