Louis Armstrong

It is difficult to say that he has been underestimated, but Louis Armstrong was so great that he ought to be elevated into a unique Hall of Music that includes but a very few. Then again, we have the fact that there are so many his recordings from throughout his career. Whenever, Louis (LOO ISS apparently was his preferred pronunciation), played, the angels sang.

Here is a snippet from Wikipedia:

"Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an "inventive" cornet and trumpet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence on jazz, shifting the music's focus from collective improvisation to solo performers. With his distinctive gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also greatly skilled at scat singing, or vocalizing using syllables instead of actual lyrics.

Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and deep, instantly recognizable voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong's influence extended well beyond jazz, and by the end of his career in the '60s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general: critic Steve Leggett describes Armstrong as "perhaps the most important American musician of the 1900's."


My purpose here is to introduce, let you discover - regardless of biases - throw out the "genre" label. Without Louis (aka "Satchmo", "Pops"), the world would be a lesser place.

Lots more to write - on him - on many others.

Next? Hey, how about someone like the unbelievable pianist, Art Tatum - a big guy, who was virtually blind ... yeah, like Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder afterward... but, no one played those keys like Tatum. Well, maybe, Oscar Peterson ... another great.

And, hey, I don't know "everything" ... I know what I know and am always discovering... so, if anyone has something to add... I'm all ears.