Comments on: 7 Unusual Things I Learned from Louis Armstrong

By: uuhy

uuhy — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:49:00 +0000

froggy

By: Torsloke

Torsloke — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 18:36:00 +0000

If there’s anything that unnerves me it’s dismissing an art form because you dislike the fans of that art form. Yeah, a lot of jazz fans are elitist snobs, and there’s quite a lot of jazz that’s self-indulgent noodling. But to write off the whole genre, by definition America’s art form, because you can’t listen to it objectively only hurts yourself. Listen to West End Blues, Potatohead Blues, Struttin’ With Some Barbecue, hell anything from the Hot 5’s or Hot 7’s. You don’t have to get jazz (and if you listen to it in the privacy of your own home you don’t have to encounter a single jazz fan) to hear that there’s genius at work. Armstrong transformed the whole of American music. Yes, his story of success and survival is inspirational – even moreso when you know how many others music has chewed up: Buddy Bolden, Bix Beiderbecke, Freddie Keppard, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, etc. – but it’s even more inspiring when you can also allow yourself to appreciate what he created. For all the college-educated composers and performers it was a nearly-orphaned waif from the poorest corner of New Orleans that somehow heard a sound no one else had heard and was able to bring that sound to the world – the sound of America.

By: Sean M Kelly

Sean M Kelly — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:54:00 +0000

Simply excellent!

By: jd

jd — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 15:20:00 +0000

Gary Crosby commented on Armstrong’s diet which was big on laxatives. Armstrong had a motto that went something like “the more I shit the thinner I get”.

By: JP

JP — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:15:00 +0000

In addition to pretentious intellectual students, May there possibly be another reason for you to hate jazz (hate being a very strong word)? If not, could you have been conditioned too easy regarding aforementioned musical dislike?

By: Barbara Frank

Barbara Frank — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 02:30:00 +0000

Thought-provoking post. If you’d like to learn more about Louis Armstrong, you might like “Pops” by Terry Teachout.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 14:35:00 +0000

My brother who had his own set of problems was a Louis Armstrong groupie. Because Tom was almost seven feet tall, he stood out in a crowd and Louis always played one for him, I remember Louis with great fondness.

By: Ashleyscwalls

Ashleyscwalls — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 20:05:00 +0000

I thoroughly enjoyed this piece!

By: Jaliya

Jaliya — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 15:58:00 +0000

Joy! — Satchmo was all about joy. My beloved grandfather introduced me to Louis’ music when I was four … and that was it; I was a goner. Then he introduced me to Ella Fitzgerald’s voice … and I’ve been swooning ever since.

Heh — I get what you mean about not liking jazz. I feel that way about certain styles of music myself — but when your brain hooks into a sound that makes it purr … there’s a taste of heaven.

I’ve just encountered your writing for the first time today, James — *Thank you* :-)

By: Searx

Searx — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 05:53:00 +0000

James, it was the 1st live performance i ever saw of a famous person & i can remember his trumpet shining as the lights dimmed & the sheer exuberance of his performance.