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.