Born in New Orleans in August of 1901, Louis Armstrong was a jazz trumpeter and an influential figure in jazz music. His career spanned five decades in which Armstrong would be part of different and important eras of jazz music. In addition to his musical abilities on trumpet, Louis Armstrong was also a vocalist, composer and actor. He was one of the first African American entertainers to cross the gap in racially divided America at the time, being accepted by both white and black audiences. Armstrong generally remained neutral when it came to politics, which often resulted in criticism, however, in 1957 he did speak out during a conflict in Little Rock, Arkansas over school desegregation.
Although Armstrong made his first recordings with King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band in April of 1923, the first recordings that had Armstrong’s name in the title were in 1925 with his backing band, The Hot Five. The recordings were made in Chicago with The Hot Five and The Hot Seven backing him from 1925-1928. These important early works were not only inventive, but allowed for jazz solo opportunities within the song. He would emerge as the first great jazz soloist. Also nicknamed “Satchmo”, “Satch” and “Pops”, Armstrong had a very distinct voice. His voice was usually defined by its rich, gravelly tone. The vocal style that he used also incorporated skat singing, which he was skilled at. Armstrong had a very unique ability to bend lyrics and melody in song when singing. When recording vocals to the 1926 song "Heebie Jeebies", Armstrong put down the first example of skat singing on record. It is rumoured that he dropped his music sheet during the recording session and made up nonsensical syllables on the spot. Whether this is true or not about this song, it is an example of Armstrong’s inventiveness as a musician and can really be felt when listening to the song. One of his most well known songs is perhaps “What A Wonderful World”, in which it displays Armstrong’s gravelly, honeyed vocal style. Although recorded late in his career in 1967, the song was an international success in the UK where it topped the UK Singles charts at #1. The song initially did not sell well in the US, but would eventually reach #16 on the US Billboard singles charts. It has become an enduring song, still associated with Armstrong even to this day.
Louis Armstrong appeared in a large amount of films such as Pennies From Heaven (1936), in the 1956 musical High Society where he did a duet with Bing Crosby, The Five Pennies (1959) and Paris Blues in 1961, which also starred Paul Newman. He appeared in not only movies, but on radio and television. Some of the songs that he was known for were “What A Wonderful World”, “Hello Dolly”, “Jeepers Creepers”, “St. James Infirmary”, “Potato Head Blues”, “Gut Bucket Blues” and “When You’re Smiling”. Armstrong also collaborated with legendary pianist and bandleader Earl “Fatha” Hines, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and Duke Ellington. Louis Armstrong’s influence went beyond jazz, resulting in fans calling him one of the first great jazz soloists. He was an influence on soloists in every genre of American popular music.
Black History Month Playlist:
1. Pure Hell - No Rules (Noise Addiction - Welfare Records - 2006)
2. Death - Freakin' Out (...For The Whole World To See - Drag City - 2009)
3. Andre Williams - Agile, Mobile, Hostile (Silky - In The Red - 1998)
4. Andre Williams & The Sadies - My Sister Stole My Woman (Red Dirt - Bloodshot Records - 1999)
5. Andre Williams - Bacon Fat (Mr. Rhythm Is Movin’! (The Original 1955-1960 Fortune Recordings) - Hoodoo Records - 2011)
6. Fats Domino - Let The Four Winds Blow (Let The Four Winds Blow - Imperial - 1961)
7. 8th Day - It's Instrumental to Be Free (You've Got To Crawl (Before You Walk) / It's Instrumental To Be Free - Invictus - 1971)
8. Chairman of the Board - Skin I'm In (Skin I'm In - Invictus - 1974)
9. Eddie Kendricks - My People Hold On (People...Hold On - Tamla Records - 1972)
10. Earth, Wind & Fire - Ain't No Harm To Moan (Slave Song) (Open Our Eyes - Columbia/Legacy - 2001)
11. Gil Scott-Heron - The Liberation Song (Red Black and Green) (The First Minute of a New Day (Midnight Band) - Arista - 1975)
12. Billy Preston - The Bus (I Wrote A Simple Song - A&M - 1972)
13. Louis Armstrong - Gut Bucket Blues (The Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven Recordings - Columbia/Legacy - 2000)
14. Louis Armstrong - Heebie Jeebies (The Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven Recordings - Columbia/Legacy - 2000)
15. Louis Armstrong - Potato Head Blues (The Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven Recordings - Columbia/Legacy - 2000)
16. Louis Armstrong - St. James Infirmary (The Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven Recordings - Columbia/Legacy - 2000)
17. Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra - Ain't Misbehavin' (Ain't Misbehavin'/(What Did I Do To Be) Black And Blue - OKeh - 1929)
18. Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra - Lazy River (Lazy River/Georgia On My Mind - Parlophone - 1931)
19. Duke Ellington - Creole Love Call (Creole Love Call / Black And Tan Fantasie - Victor - 1930)
20. Bo Diddley - Craw-Dad (Walkin' And Talkin'/Crawdad - Checker - 1960)
21. Fela Kuti & Roy Ayers - 2,000 Blacks Got To Be Free (Music of Many Colors - Phonodisk - 1980)
To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 1st.
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