Louis Armstrong Research Paper

Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Armstrong defined what it was to play Jazz. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. Only Charlie Parker comes close to having as much influence on the history of Jazz as Louis Armstrong did. Like almost all early Jazz musicians, Louis was from New Orleans. He was from a very poor family and was sent to reform school when he was twelve after firing a gun in the air on New Year's Eve. At the school he learned to play cornet. After being released at age fourteen, he worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart. He didn't own an instrument at this time,

Louis Armstrong learned at a young age, not to let negative views direct your life. At the age of seven he worked for a Jewish family, and noticed how the whites treated them. It was not just the blacks in the early 1900’s that dealt with racial issues. But Louis saw one thing that left a long time mark on him. Many of the Blacks wanted Pity, but this family of Jews he worked for, did not, they made their way. This was something Louis would carry with him the rest of his life. Louis Armstrong’s influence was the style, structure, and joy of his art. It is something that can be seen in many musicians that listened to him. Listen to a Miles Davis cd, and you will hear the Great Satchmo. Yes it is Miles Davis, but the influence of Louis is there to be heard. Many of the musicians today you will also hear Louis’s influence, and not only in Jazz, Swing, Blues, but in any form. Louis Armstrong’s influence is one of the most powerful that has ever been, and may ever be.

According to biography.com, Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was born into a poor section of New Orleans, which was nicknamed “The Battlefield.” Louis Armstrong had a tough childhood when he was growing up, his father was a factory worker that had left Louis Armstrong’s family after he was soon to be born. Louis Armstrong’s mom was a prostitute and she often left him at his maternal grandmother’s house. Armstrong had to quit school in the fifth grade because he needed to begin work to support himself. A

Louis Armstrong's diversity and adaptability is widely recognized as one of the most influential aspect in jazz music. Louis Armstrong's musical influence is still the fundamental base for modern jazz today. "Louis Armstrong is jazz. He represents what the music is all about.” — Wynton Marsalis perfectly sums up his contributions. His diversity sets him apart from other jazz artists because he managed to stay relevant throughout different musical eras like, the ENOJ era, The Swing Era, Blues etc., until the end of his career. The accomplishments he has achieved throughout his life and the hardships he has gone through has shaped his persona, contributing to how he will become as an artist. His instrumental style, singing, career throughout musical eras, accomplishments, and etc., contribute to how adaptable and diverse he is.

Many people knew Louis Armstrong as the “first real genius of jazz”(Shipton 26). He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. Louis was the illegitimate son of William Armstrong and Mary Est “Mayann” Albert. He was abandoned by his father, a boiler stoker, shortly after his birth and was raised by his paternal grandmother. Then, at the age of five, he was returned to the care of his mother, who at the time worked as a laundress. Together with his mom, they moved to a better area of New Orleans. This is where Armstrong first fell in love with music; he would listen to people playing any chance that he would get(Tirro). He would attend parades, funerals, churches and go to cheap cabarets to be able to hear some of the greats play

Armstrong changed much as a person and a musician. He worked very hard to become

Armstrong grew up in a family with strong roots with parents Eric Veron and Edith Miriam and was the fourth of the seven childrens and had 3 sisters and 3 brothers. Armstrong was born

Armstrong had fired his stepdad’s gun in the middle of a New Year celebration, which got him arrested on the spot. After being arrested he was sent to the Colored Waif’s for Boys, that is when he started to fall in love with music after receiving instructions to play a cornet. He was released in 1914, immediately after he was dreaming of making music.

Around the year 1651, the Mississippi river flowed down into the Gulf of Mexico and a bright star overhead came crashing down into the large, deep blue river and created a strange reaction. They created the first god of New Orleans and his name was Louis Armstrong. He was the god of music and the river. His instrument was the trumpet and he would play it often as he had no one else to converse with. He would sit next to the river all the time and waited for another star to collide with it.

Billie Joe Armstrong was born on February 17, 1972 in Oakland, California. His parents are Andrew Armstrong and Ollie Jackson. Billie Joe’s father worked as a jazz musician and truck driver for safety Inc. Sadly though when Billie was around ten, his father died from esophageal cancer. His mother was a waitress at Rod's Hickory pit (restaurant in El Cerrito). Andrew and Ollie Armstrong had six children. Billie was the youngest of six children. Armstrong never went to college and dropped out of High School at Pinole Valley High School after attending John Swett High in Crockett. When Armstrong was five attending Hillcrest Elementary School, his teacher encouraged Armstrong to write and record a song which lead to the first band Armstrong

Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 - July 6, 1971) grew up in a poor neighborhood nicknamed “The Battlefield” in New Orleans, Louisiana. His mother, Mayann, was 15 years old when he was born and his father, Willie, abandoned them soon after. “Willie’s habit of devoting all his attention to his second family, and none to him, was always a source of great pain to Louis” (Bergreen 16). Mayann turned to prostitution and Armstrong was raised by his Grandmother. He dropped out of school in the fifth grade to help support the family by singing on street corners, selling newspapers, and delivering coal.

With the rise of the Harlem Renaissance many African-Americans could show their work on a massive scale. There were many parts to the Harlem Renaissance including art, fashion, dance, and music, mostly jazz. Many up and coming musicians could show their views through music, to a large segment of the population. They confronted the social problems of their day, which included segregation, wrongful prosecution, and past slavery (Berg 27). One singer in particular, Billie Holiday, had a major influence on the movement and the music community, even after her death.

One of the most well known musicians is Louis Armstrong, a jazz artist. His music was one of the most influential reasons that the Harlem Renaissance was so well known. It showed many people jazz music, which eventually became popular to both whites and blacks. There was also other musicians who led to the popularity of jazz, including Chick Webb, and Billie Holiday. Although writing is an influential way to show ideas or culture, music was one of the main factors to the Harlem Renaissance becoming popular.

Not only was Louis Armstrong one of the best trumpet players, but also sung, “What A Wonderful World.” Louis Daniel Armstrong is Louis’s full name. Louis was born August 4,1901, and died July 6,1971. Louis was born in New Orleans, LA.Louis Armstrong is a great role model because he is a famous trumpeter,won several grammys, and sung “What A Wonderful World.”

Born into poverty, young Armstrong began earning money from a young age by selling newspapers and vegetables, but more importantly, singing with a group of friends on the street. It was during these early years of singing that he received his nickname “Satchelmouth” which was later shortened to “Satchmo” because he had such a big mouth. On New Year’s Eve in 1912, Armstrong was arrested after firing shots from his step father’s gun into the air. The eleven year old Louis did this as a traditional New Year’s celebration.