Louis Armstrong
known to the world as "satchmo"
Biography
Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1901. His musical career started when he played on the streets with a quartet to earn tips. After getting arrested on New Years Eve 1912, he was sent to the Colored Waif's Home for Boys. He eventually becomes the leader of the Waif's home band. He was later released from the Waif's home, and Joe Oliver became his mentor and teacher. After Joe Oliver moved, Armstrong took over his spot in the Kid Ory band, a leading band in New Orleans. In 1925, he created his own band which he named the Hot 5. Armstrong travels many places, and also records with many artists including Ella Fitzgerald. One of his greatest hits was and still is "What a Wonderful World". Louis Armstrong died in 1971, and is missed my many jazz lovers.
Accomplishments & Significance
Some of Louis Armstrong's accomplishments include-
- developed a way of jazz that had an impact on the way some artist wrote their music
- recording many, many songs that are still played today
- wrote a lot of magazines, two autobiographies, and tons of letters and memoirs
- was a gifted actor and of course singer that appeared in more that 30 movies
- was one of the first celebrities of the 20th century
- introduced scat singing to the jazz/music world
The Heebie Jeebies
This is one of Louis Armstrong's more famous pieces of music. Something significant about it is that it was the first time the world heard scat music and singer improvisation. A claim by Richard Jones in 1930 says that while Armstrong was recording this song, he dropped his sheet music and had to improvise what he sang, and used some crazy words and nonsense syllables to do that. That has become known as 'scat music'. Louis Armstrong impressed many people with this song, and gathered many people that would soon be known as some of the greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Leo Watson. Long after Armstrong died, jazz singers still use scat singing in their music. One example of an artist today that uses scat singing is Jason Mraz in his song, I'm Yours.
Louis Armstrong - Heebie Jeebies
Similar to.... Harry Connick Jr.
Along with Louis Armstrong, Harry Connick Jr. was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He started playing jazz on the piano publicly at age 5, and recorded with a local jazz band at 10. He played with many bands throughout his childhood and teen hood, and even played with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra. He eventually went to the Manhattan School of Music, where he recorded his label. One of his most famous projects is When Harry Met Sally, in which he helped with the musical soundtrack. One of his most famous songs is It Had to be You, which appeared in the movie When Harry Met Sally. He and Armstrong both have that 'jazzy' voice, which is a way most people relate the two.
Harry Connick Jr. - It Had To Be You (Lyrics)
Also similar to.... Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz is a modern day pop/jazz singer. One of his most famous songs is I'm Yours, which was released in 2008. Near the end of the song, Mraz uses a technique that Armstrong used in his song The Heebie Jeebies, scat singing. Scat singing is when a singer makes up sounds and words to fill in the time that the music is playing. Jason Mraz is a master at this, and his scat singing seems to be modeled off of the idea that Armstrong is said to have made up. * in the video below, skip to the 3:30 mark to hear his scat singing.*
Jason Mraz - I'm Yours Lyrics