Louis Armstrong, a “Cultural Legacy”

"Louis Armstrong was the epitome of jazz and always will be"

--Jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader Duke Ellington

Louis Armstrong was a key and influential player in the Jazz movement of the 20^th century. I believe that his voice could be picked out from a crowd of a million. Armstrong’s voice was unique and yet its' differences completely encompassed the essence of jazz with its variation and experimentation. He captured my heart when I first heard “What a Wonderful World”. When he sings, it feels like all is good in the world for that moment. This feel good mood that could be created was a grand part of what Jazz was all about.

Armstrong did not have an easy childhood. He was extremely poor growing up in New Orleans. By the age of 11 he was a juvenile delinquent and was sent to a reform school for 18 months. Oddly enough, this is where he first learned how to play a cornet. Once leaving the school, he played a lot in pick up band events and other small town things. It wasn’t until he moved to Chicago and then New York that his popularity grew exponentially. In Chicago he was a part of Oliver Creole’s Jazz Band. This band was a very popular and influential band at that time. In New York he became a part of the Fletcher Henderson Band which was one of the most popular African American bands of the time. He bounced around between Chicago and New York while being a part of many bands.

Louis Armstrong stepped into the spotlight as a trumpet player. This trumpet playing and style set the stage for jazz soloists. Later on in his career he became to be known as a vocalist, band leader and jazz exemplar. Louis sang in a style that was new and helped to create the foundation for his effect on jazz. The way he sang was sometimes called "scat". Referring to turning the voice into an instrument and singing random sounds instead of real words. This along with his trumpet were some of Louis' recognizing features as a performer. The following clip highlights his trumpet playing and also his unique vocals. Louis received a Grammy Award for the following song, "Hello Dolly" in 1964.

Some critics accused Louis of "selling out". Claiming that he would sing to segregated audiences and he tried too much to fit into the desired American taste of the time. Whether or not he did is not for me to say. However, he created something that others have tried emulating for years and still exists today. That is something worth noting in of itself.

In the words of Louis himself, "Musicians don't retire; they stop when there's no more music in them." These artists weren’t around for money or popularity but because of what the music meant to them. Jazz wasn't as much about the words as it was the feeling that was created from experimenting with this new form of music.

Fallen Monarchs

Art has the capability to create a window into the mind of the creator. What goes on in the mind can be expressed through this beautiful medium of art. Art is not only an expression but rather an ability. History has been recorded through art, memories preserved, eras highlighted and ideas presented. One artist worth mentioning in the American art realm is William Bliss Baker. He created many pieces of art and one in particular piece named the Fallen Monarchs (1886). Through his simple construct of a beautiful forest he has portrayed and captured a movement from his time. This painting is about re-growth, things dying but new things always coming up and a harmony or balance found in life between nature and humans.

William Bliss Barker was born in 1859 in New York City. He unfortunately died at an early age of 27 due to an ice skating injury. The New York Evening Post commented on his death by saying that "the young artist was animated from his earliest years, and this, aided by his great industry and energy, was among the chief elements of his success in the line of art he had chosen," (“Canvas Replicas”). This “line of art” was one of realism and realism in respect to landscapes. Baker grew up in the area of Ballston Spa. He then studied at the National Academy of design for four years, starting at age 17. While there he created and exhibit and even won the Elliot prize in 1879 (“Art Review” 19). He was on his way to a great career.

William Bliss Baker’s work fell in line with the Realism movement and style that existed at the time. Realism is portraying things as they are. It is not about making life look better, prettier or happier but showing the truth of life through the eyes of the artist. Within realism stemmed a style called Naturalism. Naturalism refers to “the depiction of realistic objects in a natural setting” (“Web Art Academy”). A big aspect of the naturalist movement was the “Darwinian perspective of life and its view of the futility of man up against the forces of nature” (“Web Art Academy”). This very idea existed in the Fallen Monarchs.

In 1886, right before his death, Fallen Monarchs was made. This piece was created near the Ballston Lake area around Baker’s summer home. Baker didn’t simply want to paint a charming forest scene near his house but desired to expose the life cycle of decay, death and rebirth. This life and death cycle can be seen through the dead, broken and fallen trees ("Brigham Young University Museum of Art"). Amidst those trees however if you look closer is fresh green moss, new growth and life. It is also obviously fall time and fallen leaves cover the ground of the piece. These fallen leaves also allude to this inevitable cycle of life, how they have all fallen off at this stage of the season. I believe it strengthens the idea of the power and inevitability of nature. The sun in the background is also important to note as well. Its presence and warm feel, adds to the peace and balance of the piece.

Fallen Monarchs caught my eye and led me to inquire more about it and the author. It has a very warm and soft feeling despite the slightly dark and muted portrayal of a forest. I believe it draws you in with the bits of warm colors and tones, which bring about this feeling of peace and harmony. The picture itself is what caught my eye, not the idea of death and life. One can always appreciate a work of art without understanding the many layers of meaning and truth behind it. However, I won’t say that knowing the cultural and historical context wouldn’t possibly change your view of the piece. Alternatively, some people may really connect with and appreciate what a painting represents and not particularly want to hang it up in his or her home.

William Bliss Baker lived a short life but due to the abilities of art, he left a mark in this world and his ideas and views were preserved. Fallen Monarchs was recorded as one of his greatest pieces. It may not be this extremely layered deeply symbolic painting, but it does have its own meanings. It exhibits a view of his time concerning this life perspective of the balance between man and nature and life and death. That is the fun of art, trying to understand the artist and his or her motives, perspectives and ideas through their work.