Tzara
Continental
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2005
- Posts
- 7,661
Well, I certainly don't disagree that Armstrong was hugely influential, both as a vocalist and trumpet player. That would be silly. The statement "...the way that sound has grown into popular American song, the style of singing, the way a song is constructed comes mainly from Louis Armstrong" seems like hyperbole to me, though (my emphasis). That depends in part on what one means by "popular American song," of course.First I will give you a really easy resource. If you happen to have Netflix and a source to stream it into your home (or you could rent it) get Ken Burn's Jazz and watch Episode 2 (might be 3 but I think it's 2). It's called The Gift and is about Armstrong. Some of the things I've mentioned here about his shaping of American song and American musical style is discussed in that episode by Wynton Marsalis, Gary Giddins, Gerald Early and Tony Bennet, among others.
Also if you get the Ovation television channel (we have it on DirectTV) they've beening running a special about Armstrong (might be a PBS American Masters thing). I've seen it advertised a few times in recent months. That addresses some of it, too.
If you want to read a very accessible (and recent) biography with lots of discussion about Armstrong's influence on popular song and American culture, Terry Teachout's Pops is a great read.
And here are a few short excepts from Gary Giddins great book, Visions of Jazz:
He [Armstrong] manifested the rhythmic gait known as "swing," transformed a polyphonic folk music into a soloist's art, established the expressive profundity of blues tonality, demonstrated the durable power of melodic/harmonic improvisation, and infused it all with an irreverent wit--for to enter the world of Louis Armstrong is, as Constance Rourke wrote of Whitman, "to touch the spirit of American popular comedy"
He was not a virtuoso in the conventional sense in that he did not play the conventional trumpet repertory. Yet the unrivaled brilliance of his sound, complimented by his economical style, transformed the instrument's timbre and range not only in jazz, but in symphony orchestras and dance bands. He popularized the trumpet's upper range and unknowingly set in motion a revised model for the mastery of playing lead in a brass section. His career was in its early stages when musicians began to covet his authenticity and power, mimicking his personal manner; pundits routinely likened him to Gabriel. Philharmonic orchestras that once favored concision now used a heavier vibrato (the conductor Maurice Peress recalled that when he studied trumpet his teacher made him listen to Armstrong records). Miles Davis said, "You know you can't play anything on the horn that Louis hasn't played--I mean even modern."
And one more tidbit from the same article:
Ultimately, his influence on popular and jazz vocal styles was no less sweeping than his impact on instrumentalists.
Another great source for this sort of information is Albert Murray's Stompin the Blues, probably some of his other writings, too, but that's the one I'm most familiar with. Murray is still around I think (and in his 90s) and has a long distinguished career as a jazz critic and biographer. He writes a lot about jazz and 20th century American culture. He is also the co-founder (with Marsalis) of the Jazz at Lincoln Center program.
You may not agree with these sources or with me, but I am far from the only person who believes this stuff.
I'll try and take a look at the Ken Burns series. I don't watch TV much except for sports, so I missed it when broadcast.
