Christian Lucy MUSC 1040 Prof: Leslie Henrie Louis Armstrong If a person was to make a list of the most

influential jazz musicians of all time (or maybe even top 10 general musicians of all time), no list would be complete without the great Louis Armstrong. A highly virtuosic trumpet player and singer, Louis Armstrongs massive influence not only helped change and progress the jazz world of the early to mid-20th century, but extended to the popular music world as well, and his playing extends to the modern musicians of the 21st century and will likely continue to influence musicians for decades. Louis Armstrong changed the game. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana (the place many consider the birthplace of jazz) on August 4th, 1901. Because of the size of his mouth, he was named Satchmo and was also named Pops. Louis didnt have an ideal family lifehis father left the Armstrong family when Louis was a baby, and his mother had to resort to prostitution to support their family. Louis had to start working early on as a young child to help support his family, and did everything from singing on street corners to cleaning graves to selling coal. Despite these trials, Armstrong was known throughout his life for his sense of humor and positivity. Throughout his travels around the city as a boy, he was exposed to many different

styles of music. Armstrong had a natural talent for music, and taught himself to play the cornet before finally receiving formal instruction at the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. As Armstrong got a little bit older, he started playing gigs and was noticed by some of the top players on the scene, such as Joe King Oliver, who became a mentor to young Louis. When Oliver eventually moved, Louis replaced Oliver in the band called Kid Orys Band, the band that Oliver had left. Playing in this band opened the door of opportunity for Louis, and he was able to get more gigs and began to learn to read music and really develop his chops. Then, in 1922, Joe Oliver invited Armstrong to play in his band called the Creole Jazz Band in Chicago, which Armstrong joined. Joining this band opened the door for a lifetime of touring and recording with artists such as Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, his own band (The Hot Five) and many others. After nearly a lifetime of playing, touring, and writing and recording jazz records, Armstrong passed away in his home at the age of 69 from a heart attack. Two of Louis Armstrong's more well-known pieces are Stardust" and "What a Wonderful World." What a Wonderful World was a journey into more of a pop sound for Armstrong. However, one can definitely hear the jazz influence in the way he sings. He sings so freelynot restricting himself the exact rhythm of the melody, and even uses some bending of pitchnothing too noticeable, but subtly. There is such a freedom in the way he sings, since he sings so loosely and freely. You get the feeling that he wouldnt sing it the exact same way every time, and that is an element of improvisation that carries over into this pop song.

Stardust is a traditional jazz piece, featuring a big band and showcasing Armstrong's improvisational chops. You can clearly hear the difference between the Front Line (with all the horns) and the rhythm section. In this recording its a little hard to tell which exact instruments are in the rhythm section, but to me it sounds like acoustic bass, guitar or banjo and drums. But you can clearly hear how they have different rolesthe front line playing the more melodic, lead parts of the piece and the rhythm section holding down the groove. Armstrong also improvises several times over this piece. Listen to how his improvising isn't just noodlingwhile it is spontaneous, you can tell that it is organized, and thought out. He really showcases how jazz improvisation isn't just playing whateverit is playing within the structure of jazz and the piece.

Bibliography http://www.biography.com/people/louis-armstrong9188912#awesm=~oCgIyQI50HOEvK http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_armstrong_louis.htm http://www.redhotjazz.com/louie.html http://www.jazz.com/music/2008/12/5/louis-armstrong-stardust-aka-star-dust http://www.pophistorydig.com/?tag=what-a-wonderful-world-1967