Louis Armstrong

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New Orleans, United States (1901 – 1971)

Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) was a trumpet player, singer, and bandleader, and is widely regarded as one of the most influential artists in the history of jazz.

Armstrong was born and brought up in New Orleans, a culturally diverse town with a unique musical mix of creole, ragtime, marching bands, and blues. Although from an early age he was able to play music professionally, he didn’t travel far from New Orleans until 1922, when he went to Chicago to join his mentor, King Oliver. Oliver’s band played primitive jazz, a hotter style of ragtime, with looser rhythms and more improvisation, and Armstrong’s role was mostly backing. Slow to promote himself, he was eventually persuaded by his wife Lil Hardin to leave Oliver, and In 1924 he went to New York to join the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. At the time, there were a few other artists using the rhythmic innovations of the New Orleans style, but none did it with the energy and brilliance of Armstrong, and he quickly became a sensation among New York musicians. Back in Chicago in 1925, he made his first recordings with his own group, Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, and these became not only popular hits but also models for the first generation of jazz musicians, trumpeters or otherwise.

Other hits followed through the twenties and thirties, as well as troubles: crooked managers, lip injuries, mob entanglements, failed big-band ventures. As jazz styles changed, though, musical purists never lost any respect for him — although they were sometimes irritated by his hammy onstage persona.
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  • Scvip

    Со святостью вы явно перегнули господа

    Saturday afternoon
  • romuls95

    Полностью согласен.

    last week
  • Corrine_Day

    Во-истину святая музыка

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  • SirBor

    Musician from planet Earth

    last week
  • MusicHallofFame

    The Music Hall of Fame are delighted to induct Louis Armstrong into the Class of 1955. Congratulations. Please vist our page too see the latest inductees into the Music Hall of Fame

    13 days ago
  • AnnMlo

    I love you, I love you, I love you and I'm crazy with you!

    16 days ago
  • NenaMygrain

    Кинг оф Джаз

    17 days ago
  • leili_

    Legend... (2)

    18 days ago
  • toeshii

    west end blues is goat

    21 days ago
  • hashbrown_jr

    great trumpet player

    last month
  • Jaanisk

    We Have All The Time In The World

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  • Elizabbeth

    a little boy came along..name of louis armstrong [3]

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  • badtriplife

    пытаюсь найти что с моим сердцем в унисон ... там вечный Louis

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  • Oneirology9

    my favorite human being, ever.

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  • smee85

    http://www.last.fm/music/Louis+Armstrong/+images/72890918

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  • mashedpotatoes7

    I see trees of green red roses too! I see them dyin' because of me and you!

    last month
  • wanderlustatul

    Louie Louie Lou-I

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  • cezzarus

    The face of jazz!

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  • Gbdiniz

    La Vie en Rose is perfect.

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  • gui_x

    genious

    December 2011
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