...Louis Armstrong: American Myth, American Master Louis Armstrong was the greatest jazz musician of all time. He dazzled audiences with his stunning high notes, gorgeous melodies and soul-stirring rhythms. Ground-breaking recordings such as “West End Blues” changed the face of music. But by all accounts, his live performances were even more amazing. Both as a trumpet player and a singer, Armstrong routinely performed musical feats that no other musician could match. His charismatic stage presence and daring improvisations cemented his status as an American master (Robbins 23). His recordings with the Hot Fives and Hot Sevens are considered the most important in jazz history (The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings, Remastered). In this research paper, I attempt to trace the history of Louis Armstrong’s musical development, beginning with his early years in New Orleans, on through to his life on the road as a traveling musician, and, finally, to his last years in New York. Childhood in New Orleans Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. His family was extremely poor, so poor that young Louis had to work from a very early age in order to help put food on the table. [Add more about Louis Armstrong’s early life in New Orleans.] First Cornet Young Louis was surrounded by music in New Orleans. Dance halls and street parades featured a host of talented musicians, from which he could learn a great deal. However, he might not have become a truly disciplined musician...
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...Louis Armstrong In the early twentieth century, a new style of music was being created in New Orleans. This style of music, known as Jazz, was performed with the audience in mind. It was heavily influenced by ragtime and washboard bands. Jazz is also highly competitive since the musicians wanted to stand out from the rest of the crowd. Their differences were accomplished through the use of timbres, improvisation, and many other characteristic of Jazz. Louis Armstrong’s version of “(What Did I Do to Be So) Black and Blue” illustrates the characteristics of Jazz, is completely unique to his style of preference, and advocates against racial discrimination. Improvisation was the most unique and challenging style utilized in the Jazz era. Musicians used this skill set to differentiate themselves from other artists within their original musical scores along with remakes of other artist’s songs, as no two performances of a song were the same. This is because the musicians literally made up or created the notes they played for their solos during the performance. The top skilled performers of Jazz were defined by their unique ability to create interesting solos with both their vocals and instruments. Louis Armstrong had the ability to use phrasing as a singer to capture syncopations that were prominent in early jazz. Jazz in the 1920’s was a combination of blues, ragtime, swing notes, and other European influences. Armstrong was able to capture the blue note,...
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...Lance Armstrong Confesses Lance Armstrong is an American road-racing cyclist; Lance has won the tour de France a record breaking 7 consecutive times. Armstrong met Kristin Richard in June 1997. They married in May 1 1998 and had three children, Luke David and twins Isabelle Rose and Grace Elisabeth. The couple later filed for divorce Born on September 18, 1971, in Plano, Texas, his mother, Linda, in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas, raised Lance Armstrong; Armstrong was athletic from an early age. He began running and swimming at 10 years old and took up competitive cycling and triathlons At 16, Armstrong began competing as a triathlete and was a national sprint-course triathlon champion in 1989 and 1990. In 1989 the U.S Olympic development champion road race, with the best time of any American since 1976. Soon, Armstrong chose to focus on cycling, his strongest event as well as his favourite. During his senior year in high school, the U.S Olympic development team invited him to train with them in Colorado Springs. He left high school temporarily to do so, but later took private classes and received his high school diploma in 1989. The following summer, he qualified for the 1990 junior world team and placed 11th in the world championship road race, with the best time of any American since 1976. That same beat, he became the U.S national amateur champion and beat out many professional cyclists to win two major races, the first union grand prix and he thrift drug classic...
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...Louis Armstrong American Jazz Icon Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) one of the renown fathers of American jazz music. One cannot think of American jazz and not think of the huge smile and the puffy cheeks of the one affectionately called “Satchmo”. Few can hear the songs “Hello Dolly!” (Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart – 20th Century fox 1964) and “What a Wonderful World” (Geroge Weiss & Bob Theile 1968) not hear the deep raspy voice of this beloved icon. With his incredible energy and joy for life, few would believe his humble and heartbreaking beginnings. What made him famous was his inner strength, drive, openness and the ability to learn from others. Humble and Tumultuous Beginnings Louis Daniel Armstrong was born August 4, 1901 in New Orleans to William Armstrong and Mary Est Albert. His father William Armstrong was a boiler stoker in a turpentine plant and left him shortly after he was born. His mother was a laundress and part-time prostitute who drifted in and out of his life (Tirro, 2000). The first five years of his life he lived with his grandmother Josephine and was later returned to his mothers care. Back in his mother’s care Armstrong lived in a cabaret district where he was exposed to the up and coming jazz music. In 1913 Armstrong was arrested for shooting a gun off during a New Years Eve celebration and sent to the New Orleans Colored Waifs’ Home for boys. Her in a disciplined environment he was given formal music instruction. In the waif home...
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...Louis Armstrong Louis Armstrong, ‘Satchmo’ being his nickname, is a name that is known worldwide. He made a name for himself, not only with his music, but his personality and aura in a holistic sense. Through display of his uniqueness and unapologetic independence, Armstrong’s success and influence in the music world helped develop the genre of jazz and changed its traditional norm forever. Louis Armstrong came into the world August 4, 1901 in the Story Ville district of Louisiana. He grew up in an unstable home with an absent father and mother struggling to support him through means of prostitution. Armstrong had to look to contribute to the family income only in the fifth grade. He was recruited by a Jewish family to take care of some tasks for a small pay. In December of 1912, he was arrested after shooting a gun at a New Year’s Eve celebration and was placed in the Colored Waifs Home for Boys. (louisarmstrongfoundation.org) It was there that Armstrong picked up the love for music. He embarked on investing in his newfound talent after taking on cornet lessons during his stay at the boys’ home. (biography.com) He left the home in 1914 with a passionate and determined heart for music. As Armstrong began to perform with numerous musical groups in the 1920s, he began to experiment with the extended solo in his music. This would transform the jazz world forever. Before Armstrong introduced this new concept, “jazz music was played either in highly orchestrated arrangements...
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...It’s Armstrong!… I’m sure of it… I mean it cannot be Lombard or Blore, can it? No! You must not let your guard amongst these men! They could turn on you just like Hugo did! With Armstrong and Wargrave gone, my trust in them has lowered greatly. But where has Armstrong gone? We’ve got one piece of evidence. Only three little soldier boys left on the table. But we've searched the place. Outside and inside. Still no sign of him. We’re going to try heliographing today with a mirror from the highest point of the island. There is only a slight chance someone will see but it is worth a shot. I don’t think I can handle this any longer. The whole thing of going by the rhyme is mad! Dressing up the judge, killing Rogers when he was chopping sticks-drugging...
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...The Battlefield When most of us hear the word leader, during the Civil Rights Movement, we think of great men like, Martin Luther King or A. Philip Randolph. However, Louis Armstrong must be considered as one of our countries leaders. Being an innovative musician he not only pioneered jazz but overcame barriers set by racism. He saw the musician, not the color of the musician. Louis patented his own style of music which became known and loved the world over. David Stricklin’s book Louis Armstrong gave us a detailed description of Armstrong’s life. By cracking open the pages of history we gain a greater understanding of his life and how he interacted with his environment. Armstrong was born August 4, 1901, in the Third Ward just west of downtown New Orleans. Stricklin quoted Gary Giddins, “Louis was raised in a house of cards in the middle of a gale,” which describes his life. His family moved later to a red light district known as, The Battlefield. Just the name, The Battlefield, makes one think of a harsh environment where you could lose your life at any moment. According to Stricklin he was primarily raised by his grandmother, and had to endure seeing his mother struggle economically, even subjecting herself to prostitution to provide for her family. His father had limited contact, which must have been difficult for Louis to understand, since he had another family. During Armstrong’s early adolescence the United States was in an era of reform, the Progressive Era, asking...
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...interview with Oprah Winfrey, Lance admitted to using performance enhancing drugs. He also admitted to using other illegal methods to win the Tour De France (Stanley). Before his confession he was already stripped of all his medals, won from the Tour De France. He was also banned from competitive professional cycling for life, and was dismissed from his charity organization, Livestrong, founded by him in 1997 (MacLaggan). Who is Lance Armstrong? Lance Armstrong is a well-known biker famous for his major success in the professional cycling world. Lance was born September, 18, 1971. He did his first triathlon at age 16, and joined professional cycling in 1992. He first cycled for the Motorola Professional Cycling Team. In 1996 he was diagnosed with testicular cancer that eventually spread to his lungs and brain. However after intense chemotherapy and other treatment, he was announced cancer free in 1997. Lance was the winner of seven consecutive Tour De France titles. Unfortunately he didn’t win them honestly. How does this affect me? Lance Armstrong was on my very short list of heroes and people I looked up to. I was a strong believer in his philosophy that hard work and dedication makes champions, not just talent. I was never a talented...
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...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...
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...Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Very soon after his birth, Louis’ father left him, his mother, and his sister. So Louis and his sister were forced to move to his grandmother. Louis and his sister moved back with his mother when Louis was five. Soon after, he was enrolled in the Fisk School of Boys and helped his mom by delivering newspapers and hauling coal. When Louis was eleven, he dropped out of school, joined a quartet of boys that sang on the streets, just to help his family. Also when he was eleven, he started to get into trouble. The police took him to a home for troubled boys. At that home, he talked to the band director into letting him join the band. That is where he learned to play the cornet. About two years later, Louis was released from the home and for the next few years, he would be supporting his family by selling newspapers and unloading bananas out of boats. Louis Armstrong’s achievements are remarkable. During his career, he developed a way of playing jazz, as an trumpet player and a singer, which has had an impact on all musicians to follow; recorded hit...
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...Tutor: Dr. Stefan Volk Case: Following Lance Armstrong: Excellence Corrupted Briefly summary of the case When it came to the sport of cycling, Lance possessed characteristics that made him unique. His ability to take in and use oxygen effectively was higher than an average man by 90% and a trained and active many by 42%. Lance also produced less lactic acid than others, which allowed him to dominate the shorter races (Rose & Fisher, 2014). By the time he was 21, Lance had already ridden in his first tour and won the U.S. Pro Championship. Lance Armstrong also cheated death at the young age of 25. He won the battle against cancer when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer that then spread to his lungs and brain (Rose & Fisher, 2014). Lance vowed to return to the cycling world someday and that he did. Taking with him the hearts of Americans. With personal sponsors such as Nike, Oakley and Giro and creating the Lance Armstrong Foundation, Lance became an iconic figure. In 1997, when the USPS (United States Postal Service) sponsored the U.S. cycling team, they also took a chance with Lance. It was a rocky start until Johan Bruyneel became the team director and changed Lance’s training schedule and regime (Rose & Fisher, 2014). Armstrong was the key decision maker when it came to the team such as choosing the other riders, the doctors and the support staff. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in January, Armstrong admits to having used performance-enhancing...
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...time of great musicians. “An all star virtuoso, he came to prominence in the 1920s, influencing countless musicians with both his daring trumpet style and unique vocals” (Louis web). Louis armstrong became a influence musicians from a simple intrest in music. Louis Armstrong was born august 4, 1901 In New Orleans Louisiana (Louis Web). Armstrong's father left at his birth (Mcdonough 5). For most of his childhood he lived in a section of new orleans so poor it was nicknamed “The Battlefield” (Louis web). Armstrong lived with his grandma Josephine for days at a time while his mother worked (Mcdonough 7). Armstrong left school in search of work after 5th grade (Louis web). His first Job was selling newsPapers at...
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...Introduction: I did my report on Louis Armstrong. He was a famous Jazz musician that was known around the world. The instrument he was most famous for was the trumpet. Louis Armstrong transformed jazz in the 1920's and gave it a meaning. Louis Armstrong's trumpet playing changed the world of music and continues to have an impact on American music. Early life: Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His mother’s name was Mary Albert and his father’s name was William Armstrong. As a child he was left with his grandmother to be raised but later moved back in with his mother at five years old. He went to the Fisk School for Boys where he first started to learn about music. At eleven he drop out of school and joined an all-boys singing group. As he got older he started to play the trumpet with a band all over New Orleans. He played in many of the city’s brass bands and parades and started to become locally famous. Achievements: All his life he struggled with being poor and not having many things. He worked as a paper boy, in a band and had many other jobs. Some awards Louis Armstrong got were King Zulu on Mardi Gras day in New Orleans in 1949. Armstrong was put into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame. US Postal Service gave Louis Armstrong his own stamp. Later in life: Later on in his life he became a famous jazz musician. Some of the songs he was most famous for were “What a Wonderful World, Hello Dolly, Heebie Jeebies, and When the Saints Go...
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...On, August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio on a farm Neil A. Armstrong was born (Neil Armstrong UXL). First, Neil made sure to live his life to the fullest being adventurous and going out of his comfort zone. Armstrong found his hobby at a young age he said, his youngest memory at the age of two was going to an air race in Cleveland (Neil Armstrong UXL). Now interested in flying, Neil began building model airplanes to learn about the basics of flight mechanics (Neil Armstrong UXL). In 1947, “Armstrong enrolled at Purdue University on a Navy Scholarship to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering” (Purdue Remembers Neil Armstrong). From a little kid to now he was adventurous and hard-working making sure to never give up. Armstrong made sure he worked hard to reach his dreams later on in his full-filled life. For example, Neil always was hard-working to earn what he wanted, he worked at many jobs just to save money for flying lessons at $9 an hour which was a considerable amount of money at that time (Neil Armstrong UXL). Additionally, the day of Neil’s 16th birthday he got his license to be an official pilot (Neil Armstrong BS). Furthermore, while he was in college, he...
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...“Mystery creates wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.” Neil Alden Armstrong was born on August 5,1930 when he was six he flew his first plane. Six hundred million people watched the first man walked on the moon on tv. Neil Armstrong was a pioneer of space exploration. He was an American hero. He became something more then he become. Neil Armstrong was so talented on so many ways. His love for flying started at a young age his father took him to a air show. He took pilot lessons with his dad. Neil A Armstrong the first man to walk on the moon. He had courage,determination also he got the langley gold medal. His dream to become a hero. Neil married a lady named Janet After graduation from college he became a test pilot....
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