High 5ives: Louis Armstrong
About this time every year, I descend upon the city of New Orleans for work, visiting Xavier University and speaking to their students about life after school. This year, when I go, I’ll do just that, and also take a moment to remember Louis Daniel Armstrong, who died a month before I was born, his sunset coming just before his 70th birthday, and just after a national holiday, the 4th of July, in 1971.
It could be argued that his death should’ve spawned a national day of mourning, especially in my household, where my father was a huge fan of the man with the distinct voice and innovative trumpet-playing style.
For many growing up in the first half of the 1900s, like my dad, Louis Armstrong, straight out of “Back of Town,” a rough neighborhood in what was called Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, was an icon. The Jazz standard. His music was all I heard growing up, from his swinging trumpet solos to his rollicking collaborations with his favorite sparring partner, Ella Fitzgerald–they all blared with aplomb from the basement’s stereo speakers on Sunday mornings. Read the rest of this entry »
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