Louis Armstrong
One of the first great soloists of jazz, a pioneer of scat with Heebie Jeebies (1926). His date of birth is debated.
Contribution to jazz
Louis Armstrong is the first great soloist of jazz. With his Hot Five and Hot Seven (1925-1928), he moves this music from the collective improvisation of New Orleans to the individual solo. He also records, in 1926, Heebie Jeebies, in which he improvises with his voice in syllables: one of the first scat performances on record. His date of birth remains debated: he said he was born on July 4, 1900, but the baptismal register gives August 4, 1901.
Key dates
- 1901: Born in New Orleans.
- 1922: He joins cornetist King Oliver, in Chicago.
- 1925-1928: Hot Five and Hot Seven, on Okeh.
- 1928: West End Blues, whose introduction became famous.
- 1956: Ella and Louis, on Verve.
- 1967: What a Wonderful World.
- 1971: Died.
How to listen
In the Hot Five, listen to the trumpet, clarinet, and trombone: short, very clear solos that serve as a model for all of jazz. In the 1950s and 1960s, it is the singer we remember, with the gravelly voice of What a Wonderful World.
Where to start
- What a Wonderful World (1967, Easy): The obvious way in: the aged voice, warm and free of effects.
- When the Saints Go Marching In (1938, Easy): A New Orleans standard, taken up by Armstrong in 1938.
- West End Blues (1928, Classic): The trumpet introduction that musicians learn by heart.
- Heebie Jeebies (1926, Classic): Scat, born, according to legend, from a sheet of music that fell on the floor.
Styles
Landmark albums
- Hot Fives and Sevens (1925, Okeh)
- Ella and Louis (1956, Verve)
What to hear next
- Ella Fitzgerald: Ella and Louis (1956): their duet on Verve.
- Duke Ellington: The two giants meet again in 1961 for a joint record.
- Bessie Smith: He accompanies her on trumpet in her recordings of 1925.
- Sidney Bechet: The soprano saxophonist from New Orleans, his great contemporary.
Landmark tracks
- Heebie Jeebies
- Muskrat Ramble
- Potato Head Blues
- West End Blues
- Weather Bird
- When the Saints Go Marching In
- Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans
- Cheek to Cheek
- Stars Fell on Alabama
- Summertime
- Autumn in New York
- Mood Indigo (Armstrong-Ellington)
- What a Wonderful World
Cited in 7 radio episodes
- Sep 29, 2026: Pourquoi les trompettistes chantent (souvent) et pas les saxophonistes (en général)?
- Feb 13, 2024: Armstrong, histoire d'une chanson culte
- Jul 9, 2021: 50 Ans de la disparition de Louis Armstrong : L'abécédaire de U à Z
- Jul 8, 2021: 50 Ans de la disparition de Louis Armstrong : L'abécédaire de P à T
- Jul 7, 2021: 50 Ans de la disparition de Louis Armstrong : L'abécédaire de K à O
- Jul 6, 2021: 50 Ans de la disparition de Louis Armstrong : L'abécédaire de F à J
- Jul 5, 2021: 50 Ans de la disparition de Louis Armstrong : L'abécédaire de A à E