Honestly does this man really need and intro? If you haven’t heard of Louis Armstrong get rid of those earmuffs and keep on reading, this man is a pioneer of Jazz, and fortunately you can download “The Best Of Louis Armstrong” right from the MBOP megastore, go on, do it, you need this!
Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Born in 1901 New Orleans, Louisiana, Armstrong was a foundational influence on what we know as Jazz today. He shifted the focus from a collective jazz performance to solo acts. His most distinguished feature was his gravelly voice, which he magnificently demonstrated in his most celebrated song ‘What A Wonderful World’, indisputably charming in every sense, this song is a timeless classic, a song that all of humanity should have heard in their lifetime.
Armstrong had a difficult childhood, abandoned by his father William Armstrong soon after his birth; his mother Mary and his grandmother brought up Louis. He soon showed interest in music and managed to get hold of a cornet, and taught himself to play, he later studied music and played the bugle and cornet in a school band.
In November 1925 Louis moved to Chicago to join his wife’s group ‘The Dreamland Syncopators’, in which he hung up his cornet for the trumpet, which he later mastered in New York whilst playing in the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra, one of the finest African-American bands of that time. Armstrong quickly fitted in with the band, in which he played the trumpet and experimented with the trombone.
The most mesmerising characteristics of Louis was his ability to improvise whilst performing. His performances were both daring and sophisticated for the times, as most music of that time was subtle and melodic; Armstrong’s was dynamic, irregular and invigorating. He honed his playing technique so that he could extend the range, tone and capabilities of the trumpet, almost single-handedly creating the role of the jazz soloist.
As his music became more popular, so did his singing, which he approached with the same style, improvising and adjusting original vocals with outbursts of chopped up vocals, scat, and sheer nonsense.
Armstrong’s list of hits is endless, “We Have All The Time In The World” was featured in Ian Flemings “On Her Majesties Secret Service” (1969), and was recently re-released in 1994 and hit No.3 in the UK charts.
Put simply this is an album not to be missed, download “The Best Of Louis Armstrong” from the MBOP megastore now, go on spoil your ears!
No comments:
Post a Comment