Louis Armstrong Influence on the Music Industry

Introduction

Louis Armstrong is one of the most influential Jazz artists to have emerged in history with his career spanning decades from the 1920s to 1960s. His father left them when he was still a young boy, and he was raised by the mother and the grandmother (Andrews). To make matters worse, the mother was engaging in prostitution, and this made life difficult for Louis. At one time, he found the stepfathers gun and fired in the air during the New Year celebrations. He was sent to children prison, and all these difficulties may have been one of the factors that propelled him to become the best. His desire to change his life for better combined with his passion for music made him the best jazz musicians of all time. Things did not become much better because after he married Daisy Parker who was a prostitute and their marriage was marred by violence, and a lot of arguments. It was a tough upbringing that in a way moldered him into becoming a great artist. When he was an established artist, the distinctively phrased form of baritone singing, as well as, the engaging personality are some of the traits that made Louis stand out among the rest and some of his hits enabled him to be classified as a cultural and music icon. He was hugely successful in what he was doing and this can be supported by the fact that he won the Grammy Awards in 1965 with his song named "Hello Dolly." He also received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award a year after his death was a great indication of the quality work he was producing (Coconut). He was born in 1901 in Louisiana and would, later on, die in 1971 after cementing his status as one of the greatest achievers in the Jazz music world. Armstrong's influence was mainly in the Jazz world, among the youths and other aspiring artist. The fact that he managed to use his position in the society to call upon the end of racism is an enough statement that he was a great ambassador of the society.

Armstrong's Influence and His Effect in the World

Louis had a major influence in the Jazz music and the pop cultures in general. He relied on this powerful solo trumpets to deliver his messages, and the instruments were much advanced on the technology front. Being the first black superstar in this sector, he managed to change the attitudes held by people towards the value that was placed on this form of African-American artwork. He was an international ambassador for the field of Jazz music due to his ability to coordinate his music prowess, gravely singing voice and his ability to play his instrument. His ability to influence the industry is supposed by some of the fellow musicians like the Said Miles Davis who stated that "You know you can't play anything on a horn that Louis hasn't played - I mean even modern (stuff)." Another trumpet named Scotty Barnhart stated that Henderson's writers started to do their work in a manner that depicted a lot of Armstrong influence and they played the instruments the same way with looser rhythms and a freer feel. Scotty states that Armstrong saw a lot of freedom in his music more than he saw himself being an American citizen. Louis could not manage to work in some parts of the country or even attend concerts, but through his capability to play the trumpet, he would find the freedom that some many black people wished they would get. He was, therefore, a huge influence not only to the Jazz industry but also the people who had been denied some of the rights at the time. This is an indication that they understood the role Louis has played in realizing the level of the Jazz music and driving it forward to greater heights. Despite his death in 1971, he was given awards in his death as a clear testament of the role he undertook in raising the level of the music industry and he later got inducted into what is called the rock and roll hall of fame. It was not shocking to find him described with these words during the induction process "It is rare that you find technical excellence, superb artistry and irresistible charisma in one performer. Louis Armstrong had all those qualities. As an architect of jazz and a vocal trendsetter, Louis Armstrong left an indelible mark on music as an art form." Whenever an individual has made great things in life, they usually receive praise and criticism in equal measure for there are those who feel bad that they have not managed to achieve much success like their colleague. It is no wonder that Louis was in some case criticized by other black musicians who stated that his clowing and exuberant personality lead to "Tomming."

Louis is the person who is credited with giving Jazz purpose and direction for he managed to change the nature of ensemble and soloist. He managed to form the swing and melodic innovation that managed to transform the Henderson's band and the Jazz industry. He improved the quality of Jazz by making integration of popular Jazz of Broadway and the one that was being played in his hometown. The rhythmic improvisation was a style that he managed to introduce to the world of Jazz and change and the way the industry was viewed. He taught the other musicians that in Jazz the critical things was not just playing some hot notes but having a great work of art different from all others. His compositions over the years have remained as the instrument that has been relied upon to pass messages from one generation to another especially in the Jazz world (Russonello). He shall forever remain as the person who gave the sector a new life and propelled it to become what it is in the current world. Whenever musicians are working in this field, they are always expected to meet the standards set by Louis.

The Jazz music and schooling can be regarded as one, and the same thing for some of the musicians have to attend some training so that they can manage to play the trumpets or sing as opposed to the people who are naturally talented. Therefore, to ensure that any aspiring artist managed to acquire the necessary education, Louis used his fame and called for the desegregation of schools and the support of the civil rights movement (Schwartz). He had become a major figure in the society and whatever he said was highly likely to get a lot of attention from all over, and this may have made him think of a way that he would manage to call for equality at schools. He was much against the government programs that failed to ensure that racism was managed and this made him join a grouse of vibrant jazz musicians to compel the government to ensure that there was equality in the country.

Armstrong's Inspiration to the Youths and Jazz Industry

Louis felt that goods things were done to him when he was young and learning how to become jazz musicians. For example, when he in his teens, he met King Oliver who played a great role in making him one of the best jazz musicians of all times. Because of this, he felt that he needed to be good to people just the same way others treated him and this led to the formation of Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. Armstrong stated that "I want to give back some of the goodness I received" and this prompted him to form the foundation that has been offering jazz class training to many people over the years. Its main responsibility is to groom and help the growth of the next generation of jazz musicians, and this is what Armstrong had dreamt of when he started the institution (Daniels). Therefore, even in his death, his desire to ensure that jazz music continues to grow and evolve has been fulfilled, and this is an indication that even currently he is influencing the way the industry is changing with times.

Louis Armstrong has been a great inspiration for the young people for he passed the message that you do not have to follow the laid out procedures. He made the world believe that everyone can engage in activities which they believe will change the world for better. He presented them with the opportunity to nurture their talent and grow it through the establishment of the foundation that has continued to support the upcoming Jazz artists over the years and present them with the opportunity to learn the trade and practice it. Working together with like-minded people has always been one of the most important elements that the foundation has presented to the learners. The students can always encourage and support each other to ensure that they all become successful. Without the foundation, it would have been hard for young people to exchange ideas on matters of Jazz music. The mission of the foundation has been grounded on the desire to promote and sustain Louis historical and cultural artifacts ad facilitating the sharing of the archival details that will be of great help to the upcoming artists and the established ones.

Conclusion

To sum up, Louis Armstrong was a great Jazz musicians and this can be attributed to his ability to seeing things in a different way from the other artists. He had a talent that was molded by the best teachers, such as King Oliver and this gave him an upper hand when it came to performing. He even won a Grammy Award which is a demonstration of how great he was during his time. He has always been a great inspiration to the young people in the world. They can understand how to handle themselves in the Jazz world. Louis did set standards that many artists who have come after him have always based their performance on determining how far they have reached. The fact that he played a role in the building of a foundation is one of the way of showing he cared about the future of the industry and the generation that should come after him. The institution has played a key role in preserving his work for others to learn.

Works Cited

Russonello, Giovanni. How Louis Armstrong's archives give us a better understanding of the artist. 2019. Independent. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/louis-armstrong-jazz-rhythm-blues-archive-writing-recordings-artifacts-artist-a8641231.html

Coconut, Young. Who Is Louis Armstrong And Why Is He Important To Jazz Music? 2017. Retrieved from https://youtubemusicsucks.com/who-is-louis-armstrong-and-why-is-he-important-to-jazz-music/

Schwartz, B. What Louis Armstrong Really Thinks. 2014. The New Yorker. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/what-louis-armstrong-really-thinks

Daniels, Patricia. Biography of Louis Armstrong, Masterful Trumpeter and Entertainer. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/louis-armstrong-1779822

Andrews, Evans. 9 Things You May Not Know About Louis Armstrong. 2016. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-louis-armstrong