Analyzing Louis Armstrong's Contribution to Jazz History

This essay examines the role of Louis Armstrong, a pivotal figure in jazz history. It discusses his early life, musical development, and impact on jazz music. The paper highlights Armstrong's influence as a trumpeter, singer, and entertainer, emphasizing his innovative solo improvisations and his role in popularizing jazz. It also explores his impact on pop culture, racial relations, and the evolution of musical styles, including his contributions to scat singing and his influence on subsequent generations of musicians like Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday. The essay concludes by recognizing Armstrong as one of the most influential musicians in jazz history, whose contributions helped to define the genre and make it a global phenomenon.

Running head: JAZZ HISTORY
Jazz History
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1JAZZ HISTORY
Jazz is one of the most popular American music that was developed especially from
the blues and ragtime and characterised by the propulsive syncopated rhythms, call and
responsive vocals, improvisation and polyrhythms (Vulliamy 2017). There are different styles
of jazz music including crossover jazz, big band, acid jazz, contemporary jazz etc. This paper
shall elaborate on examining the role played by Louis Armstrong, a jazz trumpeter, in the
development and popularity of jazz. It is to mention that Louis is often perceived by the
general public as being a very clowning and lovable personality who is also a gravel-voiced
singer who play dramatic trumpet.
Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), affectionately called “Satchmo”, is one of the first
black superstars of United States (Teachout 2014). He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana.
He had a very tough childhood as his father was a factory worker and had abandoned by the
family soon after the birth of Louis. His mother frequently left him along with his
grandmother. He was compelled to leave his school in 5th grade in order to start working. He
used to collect junk and deliver coal during his initial days of working and gradually, was
encouraged by a local Jewish family, who often used to invite him to their home for means,
to sing. He often sang on the streets for pennies (Eaton 2017). He did several odd jobs for this
family that loved him and then bought him first cornet when he was just ten years old.
As a trumpeter, Louis later developed himself into a great musical force and
innovator, entertainer and singer. During the years 1925 to 1928, his recordings with his
small groups (Hot Seven, Hot Five and Savoy Ballroom Five) had revolutionized Jazz
(Givan, 2015). Although he was not the very first jazz musician, he perpetually changed the
world of music early in its development. He is widely considered to be the most influential
and important musician in the history of Jazz. He was a trumpet player and has a significant
influence on jazz music, pop culture, racial relations and popular music. He was the first

2JAZZ HISTORY
soloists on record and was the forefront of transforming jazz from the ensemble-oriented folk
music into one of the art forms that laid emphasis on the inventive solo improvisations.
As per Robbins (2014), Louis transformed jazz with his strong and powerful solo
trumpet that was at once musically soulful, irresistible, rich and advanced. With the same, as
the very first virtuoso on his instrument, Louis Armstrong also changed the popular attitudes
of those tomes towards the value of the African-American art form. His charming stage
presence have moved both the jazz world and all of the popular music. He have recorded
different songs throughout his career. Some of his most known songs are “La Vie En Rose”,
“Star Dust”, “Hello Dolly” and “What a Wonderful World”. However, in the history of Jazz
and world music, Louis was much more than these.
The popularised scat singing of Louis and his phrasing influenced every singer of that
time to emerge after 1930, including Frank Sinatra, Billie holiday and Bing Crosby. With the
same, the sunny stage personality and accessible humour Louis were two of the main assets
of Louis in popularising the jazz music with the larger audiences. There were many
youngsters who were inspired for taking up the trumpet after seeing or hearing him and
millions more were introduced to the Jazz through Louis Armstrong. However, as per Jergel
Hutchinson and McArthur Harris (2015), Louis never boasted that he is the one to invent Jazz
or for the fact that he was one of its best players. But, anyone who has listened to his songs
and heard his inimitable style is bound to agree that he was perhaps the best there has ever
been. According to Devlin (2015), “Louis Armstrong left an undying testimony to the human
condition in the America of his time”.
Hence, from the above analysis it is to conclude that Louis Armstrong is certainly the
most famous jazz musician of all times and is still remembered for his thousands of
recording, humorous and lovable character and his immense contribution to the jazz music.

3JAZZ HISTORY
The wide popularity of Jazz today could be directly linked to the infectious style of
unselfishness and performance that characterised his persona. It is his technical virtuosity and
improvisational verve that defined jazz. With the same, his ever present grin and the engaging
personality had made him a natural and global ambassador of the style of Jazz, the greatest fit
of America to the world.

4JAZZ HISTORY
References:
Devlin, P., 2015. Jazz Autobiography and the Cold War. Popular Music and Society, 38(2),
pp.140-159.
Eaton, J., 2017. Trumpeter's Tale-The Story of Young Louis Armstrong. Edizioni Savine.
Givan, B., 2016. Rethinking interaction in jazz improvisation. Music Theory Online, 22(3).
Jergel Hutchinson, M. and McArthur Harris, L., 2016. Listening for History: Using Jazz
Music as a Primary Source. Social Education, 80(3), pp.134-140.
Robbins, J.W., 2014. Louis Armstrong. In The Counter-Narratives of Radical Theology and
Popular Music (pp. 81-94). Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Teachout, T., 2014. Pops: The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong. Aurum Press Limited.
Vulliamy, G., 2017. Music and the Mass Culture Debate 1. In Whose Music? (pp. 179-200).
Routledge.