Some roads to success are stranger and more twisted than others. Some artists start out in such poor conditions that they become so determined to improve their lives nothing can stop them; but Louis Armstrong’s story is a bit different. His opportunities for success opened up only after he committed a misdemeanor.
In 1913, specifically December 31, New Year’s Eve, a young Louis Armstrong was celebrating that evening and fired a gun in the air. He was a kid that got into trouble there and again, and this was one time it was felt that Louis should stay in the Colored Waif’s Home For Boys and he was there for 2 years. This turned out to be a good thing for Louis, who needed both the discipline and the environment where he could learn to play an instrument. Louis already possessed the love for music and prior to learning to play an instrument, he joined in with other boys in the area singing harmony.
The person that was able to help Louis realize his skills was Professor Peter Davis. While at the Colored Waif’s Home, Louis was trained first with percussive instruments, so he would develop rhythmic sense and then he was given a few different horns before winding up with a cornet and becoming the leader of the band at the home.
When Louis was 14, he took to the trumpet and at night after working all day at odd jobs, he would join other local musicians to play dance music. New Orleans was home to many gifted musicians and no doubt Louis learned something from all of them; But, fortunately the one that was Louis’ favorite, also took a liking to him and that man was Joe Oliver. Oliver taught Louis phrasing and harmony.
A few people had a strong impact on Louis and put him in the right direction. His own inventiveness, lung power, rhythmic sense, determination and self-confidence made him the most respected jazz musician of the 20th Century, not only as a horn player, but as a singing stylist. When you hear the term scat singing, it was Louis Armstrong that made it popular, but that’s another story.
Tags: Louis Armstrong, lucky break, rhythmic sense, scatt singing, singing stylist, trumpet, Vocal Stylist
This is a great story on the beginnings of Louis… he was a wonderful musician that studied with the right people and learned what he needed to learn in order to develop his musical skills.
I like that he learned percussion first in order to have a strong rhythmic sense… if you’ve ever looked at any transcriptions of some of his solo’s, that is quite evident!
Great job!
Sincerely,
Keith Fiala
http://www.trumpetresources.com
http://www.brassplayersolution.com