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Louis Armstrong, 1901-1971
A trumpet virtuoso and innovative vocalist, jazz pioneer Louis Armstrong helped to transform jazz into an international phenomenon. Raised in New Orleans, where he first learned to play the cornet, Armstrong was recruited for "King" Oliver's Chicago-based Creole Jazz Band in 1922. When the opportunity to perform with Fletcher Henderson's orchestra took Armstrong to New York City in 1924, his technical prowess and rhythmic ingenuity played a critical role in the development of the new musical style known as "swing." After forming his own band––the Hot Five––in 1925, Armstrong made a series of memorable recordings that secured his reputation as both the first great jazz soloist and a vocalist as skilled at "scat" singing as he was at melody. Armstrong's career flourished throughout the swing era. When swing gave way to bebop following World War II, Armstrong rode the wave of the Dixieland jazz revival, becoming its most popular performer. |