22 April 2010
Louis “Satchmo” Armstong and “What A Wonderful World”
Louis Armstrong, also known as “Satchmo” and “Satch”, was arguably the greatest
entertainer and trumpet player during the Harlem renaissance era. He was one of the most
successful and influential Jazz performers in its history. To write this paper, I went through two
books: “Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life” written by Lawrence Bergreen and “Louis
Armstrong” by Sanford Brown. Both are great biographies that write in strong, descriptive detail
the life of Armstrong, from his upbringing in poverty to his emergence as an American icon in
jazz and music itself. I would certainly suggest both biographies for anyone that is interested in
going beyond the music and finding a connection with Armstrong on a more personal level. The
following paper will detail the life of Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong followed by a critique of one
of the most popular songs of all-time, “What A Wonderful World.”
The Life of Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong
Luis “Satchmo” Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, in the Storyville District of New
Orleans which was most run down and poorest section of city. Armstrong was raised by his
grandparents upon his parents’ separation. At the tender age of 11, he made what is known as the
biggest mistake that turned into the best thing that ever happened to him. The ‘mistake’ occurred
at a New Year’s celebration in downtown New Orleans where Armstrong fired a pistol into the
air in celebration of the new year. He was arrested and was sent to Colored Waifs’ Home for
Boys, a reform school. It was at the reform school where he was introduced to Peter Davis, the
brass band leader. Davis brought Armstrong under his wing and taught him how to study music,
from vocals to percussion and lastly the cornet (Brown 17) where soon after that, Armstrong
became the leader of the band.
After a couple of years, Armstrong was released from Colored Waifs’ Home on June 16,
1914. Once released, Armstrong did manual labor which included selling papers, unloading
boats, and hauling coal as he tried to establish himself as a legitimate musician. He attended
many clubs like the Come Clean Dance Hall, Funky Butt Hall, and Mahogany Hall, to listen to
bands. During this time, he met cornetist Joe “King” Oliver” of the Kid Ory band. Joe Oliver
became a central figure in Armstrong’s life as he became his mentor, teacher, and father-figure.
He also helped find Armstrong stand-in slots at orchestras, giving him an opportunity to display
his musical talents.
Upon Oliver leaving New Orleans for Chicago in 1919, Armstrong took his place in Kid
Ory’s band upon Oliver’s recommendation. The following years led to Armstrong playing in the
Fate Marable band in the spring of 1919 and playing with the band until the fall of 1921. In 1922,
he moved to Chicago after receiving a telegram from Oliver, asking him to join his Creole Jazz
band. The band made its first recording with Armstrong in the spring of 1923. Soon thereafter,
he married Lillian Harden, the pianist of the band. With the pursuance of his wife, Armstrong
left the band in 1924 and joined Fletcher Henderson’s band in New York City. While playing in
New York, Armstrong’s name emerged as one of the most popular musicians. He became an
innovator in terms of his use of syncopation such as in the song “Shanghai Shuffle.” He also
collaborated with many blues singers that included Clara Smith and Trixie Smith, and most
notably Bessie Smith where in which their collaboration of “St. Louis Blues” became very
popular and successful.
In 1925, Armstrong moved back to Chicago and joined his wife’s band, the Dreamland
Syncopators. Upon moving back to Chicago, he also switched his instrument from the cornet to
the trumpet. During the same year, he formed and recorded his first Hot Five records which are
now considered to be jazz classics and the ‘peak’ of Armstrong’s creativeness. The Hot Five
band included the likes of Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Kid Ory on trombone, John St. Cyr on
banjo, Lillian Harden Armstrong on piano, and Louis Armstrong on cornet. The most famous
recordings by the band included “Mandy Make Up Your Mind,” “Muskrat Ramble,” and
“Money Blues.” Masterpieces such as “Cornet Chop Suey”, “Potato Head Blues”, and “West
End Blues”, recorded later, brought about the transition in jazz into a soloist’s art form.
By 1930, Armstrong moved to Los Angeles where he created the band, Louis Armstrong
and his Sebastian New Cotton Club orchestra. However, only a year later in 1931, he went back
to Chicago to put together a band for the purposes of touring. Throughout the early and mid1930s, he toured many countries, including many European countries, playing in England,
Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Holland. Once he returned from touring in 1935, Armstrong
and his manager, Joe Glaser, assembled the band, Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra which
quickly became one of the most popular bands of the Swing era. By 1947, big bands were on the
tail end of their popularity. Armstrong was presented with a small band by promoted Ernie
Anderson at the town hall in New York which he agreed to lead. The ‘All Stars’ that Armstrong
led included Jack Teagarden on trombone, Earl Hines on piano, Arvell Shaw on bass, and Velma
Middletown on vocals with Armstrong. Recordings made with the All Stars, such as ‘Louis
Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy’, ‘Satch Plays Fats’, ‘Louis Armstrong And The All Stars At
Symphony Hall’, and ‘Louis Armstrong And the All Stars at the Crescendo’, are all jazz classics.
After leading his band of All Stars to emerging popularity and jazz classics, Armstrong
became America’s musical ambassador in 1955. As musical ambassador, he traveled across the
world representing the United States and came out with an album titled Ambassador Satch. His
popularity as this time was at an all-time high as he was respected and welcomed to perform
anywhere in the world. “Hello Dolly”, Armstrong’s most well known song was recorded in 1964
and it reached number one on the Billboard charts on April 8th. On July 6th, 1971, Louis
Armstrong died of a lung infection and heart complications. His dying wish was that his trumpet
would be buried with him and his wish was granted.
Critique of “What A Wonderful World”
The song that will be critiqued, “What A Wonderful World,” was written by Bob Thiele
and George David Weiss. It was released as a single in 1968. The purpose of the song was to
bring out the racial and political issues that were occurring daily in the United States at the time.
Such events that were occurring during this period of time in the United States included the
Vietnam War and the assassinations of Reverend Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy.
The song intended to bring a cure to such black-eyed problems which included racial inequality
and the division of the United States as a whole because of the war in Vietnam. The song and its
lyrics also served a purpose to bring optimism and hope to its audience regarding the future. This
is most notable when he alludes to:
“I hear babies crying, I watch them grow;
They'll learn much more than I'll never know…”
A total of two minutes and sixteen seconds in length, “What A Wonderful World” was
written in 4/4 time at an estimated seventy-four beats per minute meaning that it was a rather
slow song. The single purposely has a slow tempo in order to put emphasis on the notion that in
order for people to understand and recognize all the ‘wonderful’ things that surround us, one
must slow down the pace of their lives and take themselves out of their daily routine and notice
all the beauty and good around them. In the song, Louis Armstrong does no play his trumpet but
is being backed by a 16-piece string orchestra. The orchestra is also accompanied, at times, by a
small flute and piccolo solos along with a background of french horns. Armstrong sings the
lyrics of the song in a very grave and raspy voice which helped make this song one of his most
remembered recordings.
The main purpose of the lyrics within “What A Wonderful World” was to communicate
the message of how wonderful the world can be if it was free of violence, racial inequality, and
divide. The purpose of the song was to touch every listener’s soul. Armstrong’s singing, where,
as noted above, he sings the lyrics in a very grave and raspy voice, brings believability to the
lyrics that many can latch onto during times of conflict and anxiety. The song expresses all the
wonderful things in the world, hence the title of the song, but also reminds us how hard it is to
achieve to most glorious things in life. Armstrong wanted his audience to leave with not only
hope but with a purpose that if more of us loved one another, we can solve many social issues
leading to a much better world. This is most evident when he sings:
“I see trees of green, red roses too;
I see them bloom for me and for you;
And I think to myself what a wonderful world ...”
Jazz enthusiasts bring to light the amount of love that Armstrong put into this song. Some
have said that if this was the only song that Armstrong can listen to or sing, he would be more
than happy to do either for the rest of his life. This song was also a great example of who Louis
“Satchmo” Armstrong was in terms of vocals style: at times throughout the song he’s right on the
beat, at other times, he is just before the beat, and sometimes he is just behind the beat.
To many, Louis Armstrong revolutionized both the instrumental and the vocal style of
jazz. He was the first to improvise which created a path for the future of jazz in an ‘imaginative,
emotionally-charged improvisation.’ His influence and prolonged career in jazz music continues
to have an impact in the jazz world today. He had a very unique and distinguished vocal style
along with a distinctive style of playing the trumpet. Armstrong turned his voice into an
instrument that had the ability to improvise as any other instrument in the orchestra. Also,
because of Armstrong, the trumpet overtook the clarinet as the main instrument of jazz. His
influence was beyond only jazz as he is regarded as a central figure and influence in popular
music in general. To some, he was the most important American musician of the 20th century and
to others, he was the greatest musician that has ever lived.
Work Cited
Bergreen, Lawrence. “Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life.” New York: Broadway, 1997
Brown, Sandford. “Louis Armstrong.” New York: Watts, 1993
http://www.amazon.com/Louis-Armstrong-Extravagant-LaurenceBergreen/dp/0767901568#reader_0767901568