Growing up in rough conditions in New Orleans, Louie Armstrong nonetheless started his music career, following a mentor to Chicago in his early twenties. He got his start on the coronet around the time he was first incarcerated, but before he left the South, he'd begun playing trumpet on river boat cruises. Armstrong came to New York to join the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. These guys play for mostly white patrons, including gigs at the Roseland Ballroom. However, Louis Armstrong's been making lots of recordings on the side while he's in town, and you know this jazz cat's been around to the rent parties, especially the proliferate Social Whist parties. Most of us have seen him hanging out with his New Orleans pal Clarence Williams, the pianist, at these parties. And I know I've seen him perform with Sidney Bechet from their group, the Williams Blue Five. These two spit fire at between each other like they're throwing the melody, not sharing it!
Louie Armstrong
New Orleans Born
NEW JERSEY BORN
PRIME HARLEM SPIRIT!
Playing jazz piano at 16, mostly for parties (now you know why he's so comfortable on the Harlem scene) until he left at 20 to join that...
We've watched Count Basie expand as an artist, leave for Kansas City, only to return with his own band, the Count Basie Orchestra! He learned his big sound here, and returned to pay the city back ten fold for the energy we've spent dancing, stomping, and shouting!
BEYOND BORDERS
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