Louis Armstrong was the most important soloist to emerge in jazz, he became one of the world most influential musician in history. Because of his styles and who he was made him different from everyone else. He wasn’t just a trumpet player but also a vocalist as well and a very good one at that. His upbringing played a major role into what made him the man who he was, also all the connection he made and had.
I chose to do this essay over one of the greatest Jazz musicians of all time Louis Armstrong. He was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans. In one of the poorest places in New Orleans named the battlefield. Growing up he had an difficult life. His father who worked but abounded his family while he was still a child and mom being a prosecute made life very hard. What really started his path down the road to music was this one night on New Years Eve in 1912. He had fired his stepfather gun into the air and when he did that he was immediately arrested and sent to Colored Homes for Boys. There is where he received musical instructions on the cornet and where he began to love music. He was then released in 1914 which he immediately began dreaming of a life making music.
…show more content…
Then he decided to mentor young Louis Armstrong showing him the ropes on the cornet helping him become a better player. Armstrong reputation as a musician continued to grow even more. He replaced his own mentor Oliver in the Kid Ory’s band, which was the most popular band in New Orleans. He spent his summers playing riverboats with a band lead by Fate. Their on the riverboat is where Armstrong perfected his music reading skills and where he made connections with other Jazz
The roots of trumpet in jazz go all the way back to the beginning of the birth of jazz. Their main role in jazz was to create and maintain the melody. During the beginning stages of jazz, up until the 30s, the trumpet was one of the most vital instruments to a jazz band. Buddy Bolden, for instance, was one of the first musicians who really exemplified the ideals of what trumpet playing does for a band (Bolden was more specifically a cornet player, but both instruments are quite similar and are often mistaken for one another, the only difference being in the tubing). He is commonly referred to as “the first important musician in jazz”.
The era of 1920s represented vast developments in the music business. The phonograph record developed into the principal method of publicizing music, surpassing sales of sheet music. The music industry, ever powerful to learn new customs of making earnings, realized that record, sheet music and piano roll sales could all be tied together. This led to the creation of the “song plugger” which was a person who made sure his company’s music would be performed by bands and singers in hope of one of the tracks cracking the status of a hit. This marked that start of independent music companies, who were the companies that ended up grabbing musicians that the larger companies ignored; they weren’t scared to take chances on the so-called rejects.
Miles Dewey Davis the third was born on May 26, 1926. He was the son of a Dental Surgeon and a Music teacher. He was thought the trumpet by his dad when he was 13. When his dad could no longer teach him he was educated by his father’s friend Elwood Buchanan. He played different than popular trumpeters at the time, developing Davis’ style.
James Brown was known for many nicknames such as ‘’Soul Brother Number One’’, ‘’the Godfather of soul’’, ‘’the Hardest Working Man in Show Business,” “Mr. Dynamite” and even “the Original Disco Man.” As a child Brown picked cotton, danced for spare change, and would even shine people shoes. At the age of 16, Brown was caught and convicted for stealing, and he landed in reform school for three years. While incarcerated, Brown met Bobby Byrd, leader of gospel group that performed at his prison. While Brown tried semipro boxing and baseball, but a career-ending leg injury inspired Brown to pursue music fulltime.
His music career began while he was serving in the army. While stationed in Hawaii, he sang in a army sponsored band called “Rambling Country.” When he was honorably discharged
Throughout my paper, I will discuss how his originality in ragtime helped establish himself as an artist. I will also mention how his music has been so influential to many musicians and how even after 100 years, his music is still as popular and iconic. Joplin has also received a handful of awards and honorable mentions; I must add that all of these happened after his death which proves of him being such a timeless musician. Lastly, I will mention a few of his many songs that indeed define ragtime and showcase who he was as an artist. I will first mention Joplin’s unique originality of ragtime music, however, let me first mention exactly what ragtime music is.
In order to analyze the impact that Louis Armstrong had on American jazz and the Civil Right’s Movement, there has to first be an understanding of the contributions of jazz to American culture. Jazz is a genre of music that was created in New Orleans by African Americans around the 1920’s. This form of music is based off of syncopation and improvisation, and comes in the style of dixieland, bebop, free jazz, and swing. Louis Armstrong, a famous jazz musician, had brilliant trumpet playing skills and a voice that made him widely popular across America, and well known by every race. Armstrong’s amazing abilities transformed jazz from being ensemble music into being a soloist art along with widely popularizing the use of scat.
The first bar he started playing at was The Eagle Saloon around 1908. When he first started playing here it was said his playing was loud and horrible, therefore the customers sent him home. This horrible reaction from his audience forced Oliver to return home and practice more in hopes of becoming much better. Between 1910 and 1917 he played in numerous clubs and built his reputation and image. During this time period he also brought together some of the most well-known players of the new jazz music.
Armstrong was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1901, even though he sometimes said later in his life that he was born on July 4, 1900. He was raised by his mother and grandmother after his father, who was a factory worker, left the family while Armstrong was still a child. His family was very poor, and as a child Armstrong worked many odd jobs to help support the family. Armstrong was surrounded by music while working and playing in the streets of New Orleans. Since he could not afford an instrument, he learned to sing and joined a vocal quartet that sang on street corners for a little extra money.
Music was his escape from reality and helped him forget all the bad things that have happened in his life. James was recommended to go to Europe with the band and was sponsored by The Dawson’s. He had to work for The Dawson’s and in return they would pay for him to travel to Europe. Music is what got him into Oberlin College in Ohio because his SAT scores were not that
Armstrong performed an astonishing 300 concerts per year on average (Harris). Through his expertise in jazz music Armstrong set the bar for all aspiring musicians, something great to learn from but hard to live up
In 1917 a new movement for African Americans began to form, it was known as the New Negro Movement and consisted of the most significant African American artists, musicians, and actors. It was in part a cultural movement and a freedom movement, showcasing the greatest minds of the time. For the first time, American Blacks felt it was their time to start a political effort to influence their culture. This movement lasted 10 years between the 1920s and 1930s. And was based in Harlem, New York.
Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential jazz musicians to ever live. His trumpet defined the role of the jazz soloist and revolutionized jazz itself, and his way of singing was every bit as influential as the instrument he played. His daring trumpet style and unique vocals paved his way to fame. Armstrong style of singing was not always as well liked as it is today. In the beginning, he struggled to make his voice heard.
Louis Armstrong, universally known as Satchmo, was born into extreme poverty in August, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. His first contact with music was in a reformatory for abandoned children when he was admitted to the band for good behavior. Soon he learned to play the bugle, clarinet, horn, and began to familiarize himself with the trumpet from the informal lessons he received from jazz musician King Oliver. He never had a real music lesson and, until seventeen years old, lacked the money to buy his own musical instrument. Even though Armstrong did not learn to read music until he was over twenty, he was a musical genius and his talents were groundbreaking.
He grew up as a normal child, not knowing that he would be world famous. George was not the best pupil in school at the Liverpool Institute, and grammar school next to the art college in the heart of Liverpool. He was not as interested in school like most kids are. At the age 10, he started to be interested in playing the guitar. He taught