The definitive account of Louis Armstrong—his life and legacy—during the most creative period of his career.
Nearly 100 years after bursting onto Chicago’s music scene under the tutelage of Joe "King" Oliver, Louis Armstrong is recognized as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. A trumpet virtuoso, seductive crooner, and consummate entertainer, Armstrong laid the foundation for the future of jazz with his stylistic innovations, but his story would be incomplete without examining how he struggled in a society seething with brutally racist ideologies, laws, and practices.
Thomas Brothers picks up where he left off with the acclaimed Louis Armstrong's New Orleans, following the story of the great jazz musician into his most creatively fertile years in the 1920s and early 1930s, when Armstrong created not one but two modern musical styles. Brothers wields his own tremendous skill in making the connections between history and music accessible to everyone as Armstrong shucks and jives across the page. Through Brothers's expert ears and eyes we meet an Armstrong whose quickness and sureness, so evident in his performances, served him well in his encounters with racism while his music soared across the airwaves into homes all over America.
Louis Armstrong, Master of Modernism blends cultural history, musical scholarship, and personal accounts from Armstrong's contemporaries to reveal his enduring contributions to jazz and popular music at a time when he and his bandmates couldn’t count on food or even a friendly face on their travels across the country. Thomas Brothers combines an intimate knowledge of Armstrong's life with the boldness to examine his place in such a racially charged landscape. In vivid prose and with vibrant photographs, Brothers illuminates the life and work of the man many consider to be the greatest American musician of the twentieth century.
Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt land
Tell old Pharaoh
To let my people go.
Now when Israel was in Egypt land
(Let my people go)
Oppressed so hard they could not stand
(Let my people go)
So the Lord said:
Go down, Moses
way down in Egypt land
Tell old Pharaoh
To let my people go.
So Moses went to Egypt land
(Let my people go)
He made old Pharaoh understand
(Let my people go)
Yes the Lord said:
Go down, Moses
way down in Egypt land
Tell old Pharaoh
To let my people go.
Thus spoke the Lord, bold Moses said,
(Let my people go)
If not I'll smite your firstborn dead
(Let my people go)
'Cause the Lord said:
Go down Moses
Way down in Egypt land
Tell old Pharaoh
To let my people go
Tell old Pharaoh to let my people go
It is impossible and pointless to pick 'the best' or 'favourite' Ella tune - YouTube just helps us relish wonderful performances. These two were certainly great .....
I can not go very long without hearing this song. And so here it is, "so cold, so sweet, so fair" for your enjoyment.
Notes from YouTube:
Armstrong's version of a classic popular piece. Enjoy.
I went down to St. James Infirmary,
Saw my baby there,
Set down on a long white table,
So sweet, so cold, so fair.
Let her go, let her go, God bless her,
Wherever she may be,
She can look this wide world over,
She'll never find a sweet man like me.
When I die, want you to dress me in straight-leg shoes,
Box back coat and a stetson hat,
Put a 20 dollar gold piece on my watch chain,
So the boys'll know that I died standing pat.
and from a comment;
there are two main Armstrong's version out there.
The first, very fast, dates back to 1928: "Louis Armstrong And His Savoy Ballroom Five", December 12, 1928 (watch?v=VMZPdAlgWvY)
The second, sadder and much more slower version, was first recorded in 1959: "Satchmo Plays King Oliver".
The one I put here is taken from : "Most Famous Hits", CD 1, 2000. It is almost identical to the 2nd studio version.
I don't have to choose since they are all so good in their own right. Does anyone have a particular preference or memory?
I was recently sent a list of 100 videos to improve your moods
This includes one from Louis Armstrong
I'll have to think of my own - there is such a big list. Anyone have any ideas?
I must have more time than sense but I got to thinking about Gardens
”’Royal Garden Blues’ is an indomitable romp, impossible to deliver offhandedly....”
A jazz classic
Mary Flowers plays Rag
Lay Some Flowers on my Grave
