Louis Armstrong's Role In Jazz Music

The Harlem Renaissance was a burst on African American’s expression of culture, arts, and writings throughout the 1920’s. It was in Harlem, New York, the movement allowed many African American poets, painters, musicians, authors and philosophers to express the beliefs in their people's culture. They wanted to be equal to white people so they showed that through their talents. Louis Armstrong was a key asset to the Harlem Renaissance due to his inspiring music and playing his instruments for African Americans people during this period.

Jazz has shaped the world we know today. Jazz would have never been as popular without the help of the famous musicians: Jelly Roll Morton, Joe King Oliver, Sidney Bechet, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. These people helped spread the new genre through radio, railroads, and the records that they played. Where did this all start? The jazz age began in New Orleans where a certain King was born.

The Color of Water is a memoir of James McBride’s life. James tells us about his struggles of childhood. In The Color of Water he went through phases which ranged between good and bad. James began to hang around with the wrong crowds and that did not develop him in a good way. He found out how it would affect him in the long run and decided to change how he was living.

Jazz was born in New Orleans about 100 years ago (early 20th century), but its roots can be found in the musical traditions of both Africa and Europe. In fact, some people say that jazz is a union of African and European music.

In 1922, Gennett Records, an independent company located in Richmond, Indiana, began recording jazz groups performing in Chicago. The first group they recorded was the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, followed in 1923 by King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band with young jazz player Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong is and will continue to be remembered for his contribution to the Jazz Age of music. By 1929 Armstrong was a big star, touring the U.S. and the continent with his bands. His singing style became as popular as his trumpet playing. It’s safe to say that Louis will go down in history as one of the greatest in Jazz to ever live. (Tyle

Jazz is most often thought to have been started in the 1920s as this explosive movement, but that is in fact not the case. Starting in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century many African American musicians have started to explore their taste in improvising, and where better to do that than New Orleans (Anderson). Before the 1920s these jazz musicians have already been going around sharing the unique sound, but up until then, jazz had remained majorly in New Orleans. Interestingly during this period, a common jazz band would consist of a cornet, a clarinet, a trombone, and a rhythm section when at this period of time the clarinet is not commonly associated with being a jazz instrument, it moved into being the saxophone rather. A big

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was most famous for his musical contribution to the Harlem Renaissance. His profound love for his jazz music added to the sounds of the “New Negro Movement”. Duke played almost exclusively at the Harlem Cotton club. He was a jazz legend for over fifty years, He

Armstrong, himself, was a comedian, and would push the boundaries of the accepted forms of jazz and pop music. At one time, he invented “scat” while singing in the song “Heebie Jeebies”; Armstrong claimed that he dropped the lyric sheet, and when the time came for him to sing, he sang horn-like nonsense syllables instead. Armstrong was also a deft interpreter of lyrics and was a masterful singer, and always wanted to his entertain his audience; in the end, he found great success with his pop hits despite the opinions of critics who at that time believed that he should play music with a more serious

Armstrong has more of a gravelly/rough tone in his singing voice, and showcased his agility with improvisation where he would change the flow of the songs. Before Louis Armstrong, jazz was highly orchestrated, or was more loosely structured like “dixieland” , where no one solo went on for an extended period of time. He took jazz from being a 2/4 beat, and made it 4/4 which made it easier for solos to take center stage during a performance. Louis Armstrong himself had a very charismatic stage presence that helped him connect with the audience directly and ease racial barriers. “ Armstrong was considered one of the first truly popular African-American entertainers to “cross over”, and whose skin color was secondary to his music in an America that was severely racially divided. “ (Cole

Bolden showed how much talent and dexterity one can have with playing the trumpet.King Joe Oliver was one of many important trumpet players. He was the bandleader of King Oliver’s Jazz Band, and played a lot of New Orleans jazz. The song “Snake Rag” (1923) at 2:13 is a good example. Oliver is accompanied by Louis Armstrong, another paramount trumpet player who was heavily influenced by Oliver. Both players in tandem break away from the repeated strains to riff a short, yet complex, blues melody, before incorporating it into the undertones of the continuing song. Both players were able to command the band in a few measures, showing the trumpets true dominance over the band in that brief moment. Louis Armstrong later became one of the biggest names is jazz. He played with such virtuosity, and had the ability to span a wide range of notes. In addition, he also played in a smooth legato style, and was able to improvise flawlessly. All these attributes easily lifted Armstrong's fame until it surpassed his predecessor. Another great trumpet player that (literally) shaped trumpets’ place in jazz was Dizzy

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. He got his start when Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker had a sick band member so they asked Miles to join them onstage at the young age of seventeen. After that he became a student at Juilliard school of arts.

Miles Davis is known as one of the biggest influences of the music industry in the 20th century. From a young age, he took interest in jazz. Not only did this man bring a higher popularity to the genre and inspire several trumpeteers from his diverse style with the instrument, but also created many other subgenres. His multiple collaborations and involvement in music groups had brought him many successes on top of his own as a solo artist. Also, he has had multiple awards in his career. Miles Davis was truly one of the more impactful artists toward music and jazz in the Harlem Renaissance.

"Satchmo," "Pops," and "Ambassador Satch" were names for an outstanding jazz artist that inspired many. He was one of the most important musicians in jazz. He helped to transform the traditional New Orleans style into a completely different form of jazz. Louis Daniel Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana in a very poor neighborhood. His father, a laborer, abandoned the family when he was young, and his mother was an irresponsible single parent. She left Armstrong and his sister in the care of their grandmother(Source C). Armstrong was taken out of school in fifth grade to begin working. On New Year's Eve in 1912, Armstrong fired his stepfather's gun in the air during a celebration and was arrested. He was then sent

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. Brown joined Bobby Byrd in a group that sang gospel in and around Toccoa, Georgia.

George Harrison was a rock legend, hall of famer, and a Beatle who started music at age 14 with a band and ended solo when he died at age 58. He was known as the quiet one in the Beatles,and even after they broke up he was still quiet. Who exactly was he? A little bit of information has already been said, but there is much more.