As much as I love Monk, Cecil, Bird, Konitz, Derek Bailey, Lester, Duke, Rollins, Steve Lacy, Bix, etc. etc., Louis is just the absolute greatest.
For me, he’s not only the single most important jazz musician, he’s the single most important American musician. Worthy of comparison with Bach and Mozart, it seems to me.
How many people can play a quarter note on beat one and make it sound like the hippest most soulful musical statement?
Thanks so much for this. So much great stuff in here, from Cootie Williams (!) mentioning Bird along with Armstrong as one of the two most important jazzmen, to "Louis Armstrong ruined a lot of good trumpet players" to Sun Ra's "Greetings Intergalactic."
This reminds me of the great little section about Armstrong's singing in the Ken Burns documentary about jazz, now 10 or 15 years old. I cannot remember who it it who leads us through the song, but he makes a very convincing case that Armstrong's singing in "Up a Lazy River" changed American pop music forever.
I would definitely pay to subscribe to Gary Giddins were he to start a Substack column.
As much as I love Monk, Cecil, Bird, Konitz, Derek Bailey, Lester, Duke, Rollins, Steve Lacy, Bix, etc. etc., Louis is just the absolute greatest.
For me, he’s not only the single most important jazz musician, he’s the single most important American musician. Worthy of comparison with Bach and Mozart, it seems to me.
How many people can play a quarter note on beat one and make it sound like the hippest most soulful musical statement?
Thanks Ethan, terrific piece. Louis Armstrong was the favorite musician of my first drum teacher back in 1959. My grandfather.
Hi Vincent! That's awesome. Hope to see you soon!
Thanks so much for this. So much great stuff in here, from Cootie Williams (!) mentioning Bird along with Armstrong as one of the two most important jazzmen, to "Louis Armstrong ruined a lot of good trumpet players" to Sun Ra's "Greetings Intergalactic."
fab
This reminds me of the great little section about Armstrong's singing in the Ken Burns documentary about jazz, now 10 or 15 years old. I cannot remember who it it who leads us through the song, but he makes a very convincing case that Armstrong's singing in "Up a Lazy River" changed American pop music forever.
Ok, I looked, my gosh, the Ken Burns thing is from 2001...