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Louis Armstrong’s contributions
Louis armstrong contribution to jazz
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“(What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue”
The captivating elements of ragtime, the booming instruments of marching band music, along with highly emotional Blues, created a genre of music that encapsulates history during important transitioning phases in the United States. Jazz music is considered an American art form, developed by citizens of the United States through tough times of trouble and turmoil. Jazz was the domestic starting point to many creative artists, one in particular Louis Armstrong. Armstrong grew up in New Orleans where music was an important part of culture and in the community (Famous People). Through hard work and determination, Armstrong became one of the most important jazz figures in history, and influenced American
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music, even to this day. The song “(What did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue” by Louis Armstrong captures not only the all-American jazz sound that Armstrong made popular during the 1920’s, but also an insight of what it was like to be an African American during this time period. This song encompasses an overall gloomy (or “blue”), tone, which grasps the emotions of the performers, as well as the audience. Without any vocals, the song opens with a piano, and bells set the overall tone, which stems out after the first note. The continuation of bells is short, and ends when a trumpet blasts, which then lightens the mood. The trumpet solo incorporates improvisation, a characteristic that Armstrong was highly known for, along with his use of scat, which is found at the end of the third verse. The song is not a typical twelve bar blues, elements of blues can be recognized throughout the song. Armstrong has adapted the song from its original big band Broadway style into a smaller “group-sounding” piece, which emphasizes soloists and improvisation. Perhaps Louis Armstrong structured the song in this specific way in order to show how he felt through his trumpet. The trumpet is upbeat and sounds happy like Armstrong himself, but is then brought down by the slow and gloomy pace of the other instruments, which could represent society and the influence it had on Armstrong during those times. The adaptation of “(What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue” was not originally written to depict racial tension between African Americans and whites.
Similarly, Edith and Lena Wilson, who performed the original version in “Hot Chocolates,” written by Andy Razaf and Fats Waller, did not come off as what they wanted it to be. They were then forced to write this “humorous” song by Jewish gangster, Dutch Schultz, who told Andy Razaf, that he would “write it, he more or less rasped, or you’ll never write anything again” (Singer, 1992). This threat, especially from a notorious gangster could not be taken lightly. Razaf and Waller worked on the song immediately, and ended up producing a different song that focused on the story of a black woman who had been broken up with by her boyfriend for a light-skinned woman Schulz felt as if “Hot Chocolates” was missing humor, and felt as if this song would bring the humor it needed to the Broadway audience (Alger).
Although it is unknown if this brought the humor it needed, we can infer that Armstrong took this popular humorous piece, and manipulated it into an emotional and meaningful song. The title “Black and Blue” originally meant black skin, and a “blue” feeling of sadness. These meanings are relevant to this day in Armstrong’s rendition of the song, but blue may have also represented the bruises he may have received after being abused for his skin
color. The lyrics in “(What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue” encompass experiences Armstrong endured as a Jazz musician. The vivid picture of a poor lonely man during the first couple of lines “Old empty bed...springs hard as lead Feel like ol’ Ned...wished I was dead” show how hard it was to live during this time (Thomas 'Fats' Waller). One verse states that even mice, notoriously known for living in awful conditions, leave him alone, “Even the mouse...ran from my house” (Thomas 'Fats' Waller). The next verse paints a picture of the society as a whole, and says, “I’m white inside…but…that don’t help my case ‘cause I can’t hide…what is in my face” (Thomas 'Fats' Waller). When Armstrong says he is white inside, it means that he feels like a normal human being and that nothing is wrong with him, because during this time, whites were the only people considered good or normal in society. This strong use of imagery and emotion is shown throughout the song, and changes the meaning of the originally “humorous” intention of the song. After gaining national attention during the 1920’s, Armstrong soon became a famous entertainment star. Gaining popularity, the United States government went to Armstrong in order to help spread the idea of freedom across the entire world. The idea of having a black ambassador during the 1950’s was confusing to a lot of people, considering the problems dealing with equality during the Civil Rights Movement. Armstrong’s first trip was one to the British Gold Coast, now known as Ghana. CBS producer, Edward R. Murrow, who was producing a film, called “The Saga of Satchmo”, and followed the life of Louis Armstrong himself, funded this trip and made it possible to spread the word (Von Eschen). This visit was a success, according to the government, and to Armstrong, who said, “I know it now, I came from here, way back, at least my people did. Now I know this is my country too” (Von Eschen). However, Louis Armstrong did show his discontent for the government, for they did not step in or help with much during the Civil Rights Movement. Faced with many challenges, Armstrong amplified the message and the importance of music, and how it is something that everyone can enjoy, regardless of their background or skin color (Von Eschen). Armstrong showed the world a different way to cope with the troubles of everyday life, regardless of how the world treated him. His music enlightened millions across the world, and he brought joy wherever he went with his trumpet. Whenever Armstrong’s music played, people came together and put aside their differences. Louis Armstrong is a musician who has truly changed the music world forever.
This small but distinct difference is what makes Louis such an important and influential figure in Jazz. About five years before Louis recorded this song, band leader Fletcher Henderson brought Armstrong onto his band to play shows in New York. (Singer 2) Originally, Fletcher’s band was a band primarily proficient in reading and playing music inspired by White bands at the time such as Vincent Lopez and Paul Whiteman. (DeVeaux 123 ) When Armstrong played with the band he brought a new element to it, he showed off his ability as a Jazz soloist. The nearly 2 minutes of primarily trumpet in the beginning of Armstrong’s version of “Black and Blue” is a reflection of what he brought to the table in Fletcher Henderson’s band. His trumpet stood out when he played with the band because it was such an improvisational and new element being brought to a somewhat traditional sound of music. Louis Armstrong even described this himself and very humbly tacked it all up to his inability to read the music as fast, “Well, I knew I couldn’t read music as fast as them cats, and Fletcher never let me sing. They’d got me there to blow that hot stuff. Lot of the time all I had to play in the arrangement was a 8 bar, maybe 16 bar solo. First time I did it, they went
October 18, 2016 the Career Services Center collaborated with Tracy Flynn Bowe from New Directions to bring SCSU What Color Is Your Personality. The lively event was held at 12:30pm in the Cascade Ballroom, located in the Atwood Memorial Center. The purpose of the event was to gain more self-awareness and embrace our personalities. It was an informative, exuberant, entertaining seminar that was worth attending. It jumpstarted the catalyst to start becoming more aware of who we are and our personal traits.
Tim Wise’s book White Like Me provides a picture of what it is like to be white in America. A main topic covered in White Like Me is white privilege. On pages 24 and 25 Wise illustrates what white privilege is and shares his opinion regarding how to address white privilege in society today. Wise’s plan for addressing white privilege is one not of guilt, but of responsibility, a difference Wise highlights. The concept of feeling guilty for white privilege lacks reason because white privilege is something built up through generations and its existence is not of any one person’s fault. Guilt would just be detrimental to the possibility of making progress in this field. Responsibility, on the other hand, is a perfectly logical action to take when
When it comes to jazz music, there is one name that everyone knows, whether they’ve never listened to jazz before or if they’ve listened to it their whole lives. That name is Louis Armstrong. Armstrong was one of the pioneers of jazz music, from his humble beginnings in one of New Orleans roughest districts, “the Battlefield”, to playing concerts for sold out crowds in Chicago and New York City, Louis left a massive impact on the way America listened to music for a long time. One of his premier tracks, “West End Blues”, left an impact on jazz music, which other musicians would try to emulate for years.
All types of music require musicians. In the H.R (Harlem Renaissance), there were many who contributed to this new style of music known as jazz. These musicians all have their own style and form. Each of these styles has in some way influenced the evolution of jazz. Louis “Sachmo” Armstrong is recognized as the most famous trumpet player of this time. His “hot bop” style was heard in places like the Cotton Club and the Apollo Theatre. Everyone from all over the country would come to see him. Armstrong recorded such works as I’m in the Mood for Love, and You Rascal you (http://library.thinkquest.org/26656/english/music.html). Another famous person during this era was Coleman Hawkins, a saxophone player. Hawkins is recognized as the first great saxophonists of Jazz. His most famous work was a piece named Body and Soul (http://library.thinkquest.org…). Hawkins has also recorded with artists such as Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington. Other people such as Bessie Smith, Josephine Baker, Duke Ellington, and “Dizzie” Gillespie have also made many contributions to the development of Jazz.
But Armstrong and his jazz, more often than not, supported the civil rights movement. For example, in his 1929 song, “Black and Blue,” Armstrong speaks out, or moreso, sings out, against racism. This was a precarious topic to sing about as a black musician, let alone in front of white audiences. And later, in response to the Little Rock Crisis in 1957, Armstrong openly criticized the prevention of desegregation and canceled his tour in the Soviet Union as cultural ambassador of the United States in retaliation
The color blue is symbolizing comfort, soothing, and relaxing. Blue is the color of Paul’s dream world. He fantasizes about the opera, romance and finer things that don’t even exist in his life. The dream world eventually makes it impossible to live life in Pittsburgh. “He sits down before a “blue Rico” and ...
For Stanley, the blues tell the stories of the African-American community. Some of the stories talk about the harshness of their lives, but they also talk about the good times they had. [People] play the blues to get rid of the blues not to get them." (Lamb, 1). When people play or even listen to the blues, they are letting all of their worries go. They are not worrying about their job, the bills, or their kids. They are just trying to enjoy the moment when the blues are playing. The blues are some people's release from the stresses of their lives.
its abilities to bring people together and sometimes even make people happy. Although the jazz era ended almost a century ago, this time influenced by Louis Armstrong was a huge cultural shift that still remains in our society in which African-Americans are a vast part of our music industry amongst pop, rap, reggae, and more.
Jazz was introduced directly after World War I by African-Americans (Boundless.com par. 1). Although jazz was composed by many different African-Americans the main founder of jazz was Ethel Waters (McCorkle par. 8). Jazz was first played in New Orleans, but as the African-Americans moved north, white citizens caught on and tuned jazz into a new craze (Lindop 107). Even though jazz was created in New Orleans, Chicago became the home of jazz music (Bingham 8). The first jazz players derived the tune from a mixture of Latin American, African, and European rhythms, making it very popular among many different types of people (“Latin Jazz” par. 1). Jazz was so well-liked because it gave the artists the opportunity to make the predetermined tune their own (“What is jazz par. 1). When listening to jazz the same song is never heard twice because the band members each put their own spin on the way they play their instrumen...
He was known as the Father of Jazz. He was most notable as an entertainer, however, he was a soloist that provided improvisations in regards to tunes. Louis Armstrong's “What a Wonderful World” is the first song that comes to many minds when discussing jazz. He is also well known for his scat singing, However, he also had a political side. In his song “What Did I Do To Be So Black and Blue,” Armstrong talks about the color of his skin as a bad thing and how blacks were treated. In World War II he fulfilled by performing for the soldiers during a recording
In the 1920’s and 30’s, (What Did I Do To Be So) Black and Blue is a song originally written in 1929, and composed by Fats Waller with Harry Brooks and Andy Razaf writing the lyrics. Originally, the song was composed due to the request of a gangster who had invested in a show that was to be performed at a night-club frequented by wealthy whites who wished to consume alcohol during the time of prohibition. After uncovering the songs upbringing, it should come as no surprise that the original piece was intended to be performed by a black, female artist who sings about the struggles of life as a black person, and it’s goal was to generate laughs at the expense of black people. Later on, Louis Armstrong took the song and performed it but not without first changing the lyrics and thus shifting the message of the song as a whole.
When the piece was originally written for the Hot Chocolates, it was considered to be “America’s first `racial protest song`… [and] certainly Razaf’s lyric stripped bare essences of racial discontent that had very rarely if ever been addressed by any African American musically” (Singer 219). The music was created to express the hardships of the black community and the intra-racial discrimination, evident by the line: Browns and yellers all have fellers, gentlemen prefer them right. This illustrates that within the black community, those of fairer complexion were preferred. In Armstrong’s performance, the piece was removed from its original context of a Broadway show and placed as a stand-alone piece. In doing this, the emotion created by the Broadway performance and the stage scene were lost and “Black and Blue” became just another bluesy piece. Further, his “recitativo vocal style underscore[d] the song’s plaintive quality, while his exuberant embellished trumpet solos at the beginning and the end … counteract[ed] despair” (Meckna 38). However, Armstrong dropped the verse about intra-racial prejudice and made the chorus a “threnody for blacks of every shade” (Teachout 139). In doing this, he altered the music from being just about intra-racial issues to a global of scale of the battle between black and whites and the prejudices.
In conclusion, the evidence is overwhelming that jazz has left a large impact on American culture. The birth of jazz started with African Americans and has lasted throughout the years because of African Americans. Events such as the Great Migration and Harlem Renaissance allowed for artists such as Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington to spread the popularity of jazz. Jazz was able to change how Americans viewed African Americans and their culture and essentially invited Americans into their culture and shape America to where it is today. This change was happened because jazz brought a change to the music scene, acceptance of African Americans, and a change of lifestyles to the everyday people. Although some will never be convinced, but jazz is here to stay.
The book I chose to read for my unit 5 book is Black Like Me written by John Howard Griffin. He plays an important role as the author and the protagonist in the book. The timing of the book takes place in 1950-1960.His story is that he is a journalist and chooses to write an article about racism especially in the south. Griffin ends up going to a dermatologist and dying his skin black with medication so he could see how negroes were treated. Once he goes down to the south he is broken and revealed to all the discrimination african americans get for the skin color they have.