Louis Armstrong

Solo Act – No rating The influence of Louis Armstrong on the development of jazz is virtually immeasurable. Yet, Louis Armstrong irrepressible personality both as a performer, and as a public figure later in his career, was so strong that to some it sometimes overshadowed his contributions as a musician and singer. As a virtuoso trumpet player, Louis Armstrong had a unique tone and an extraordinary talent for melodic improvisation. Through Louis Armstrong playing, the trumpet emerged as a solo instrument in jazz and is used widely today. Louis Armstrong was a masterful accompanist and ensemble player in addition to his extraordinary skills as a soloist. With his innovations, Louis Armstrong raised the bar musically for all who came after him. Though Louis Armstrong is widely recognized as a pioneer of scat singing, Ethel Waters precedes his scatting on record in the 1930s according to Gary Giddins and others. Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra are just two singers who were greatly indebted to Louis Armstrong. Holiday said that she always wanted Bessie Smith’s ‘big’ sound and Louis Armstrong’s feeling in her singing. The house where Louis Armstrong lived for close to 28 years was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and is now a museum. The Louis Armstrong House Museum, at 34-56 107th Street (between 34th and 37th Avenues) in Corona, Queens, presents concerts and educational programs, operates as a historic house museum and makes materials in its archives of writings, books, recordings and memorabilia available to the public for research. The museum is operated by the City University of New York’s Queens College, following the dictates of Lucille Armstrong’s will. On August 4, 2001, the centennial of Louis Armstrong’s birth, New Orleans’s airport was renamed Louis Armstrong International Airport in his honor. In 2002, the Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings (1925-1928) are preserved in the United States National Recording Registry, a registry of recordings selected yearly by the National Recording Preservation Board for preservation in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress. The US Open tennis tournament’s former main stadium was named Louis Armstrong Stadium in honor of Armstrong who had lived a few blocks from the site. Today, there are many bands worldwide dedicated to preserving and honoring the music and style of Satchmo, including the Louis Armstrong Society located in New Orleans, LA. Source and more information: Wikipedia