Louis Armstrong

"The man with the golden trumpet, the quintessential jazzman, Louis Armstrong was the father of so much that is jazz today. His brilliant inventiveness on the trumpet established the central role of solo improvisation in jazz, and after his Hot Fives and Hot Sevens recordings, every other jazz musician strove for his melodic style and rhythm. He was also a popular singer, and his engaging showman's personality has made him beloved throughout the world, even long after this death.". "This book follows in Satchmo's footsteps - from 1901, when he was born the grandson of a slave, to his death in 1971, and the beginning of his immortal fame. Revealing archival photographs follow Louis through his early treks from town to town and his celluloid years in Hollywood, when he appeared in Pennies from Heaven (1936) and High Society (1956) among other movies. His arrival in Chicago, then New York, then Paris with his sextet, and his embrace of the Africa of his roots all have their place in this timeline."--BOOK JACKET.