A very brief biography of Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong biography

Louis Armstrong is an iconic American jazz performer, trumpeter and singer. Born August 4, 1901 in a dysfunctional family of hereditary slaves in one of the dirtiest areas of New Orleans. The father of the future musician left the family when he was still a few months old, and the mother had to go into prostitution to support herself and her son.

Little Louis Armstrong did not stay away from the financial problems of the family and helped his mother in every possible way with money: he delivered newspapers and carried coal to Stroriville, an area known for a large number of brothels. It was from the window of a local brothel that Armstrong first heard jazz music, and it immediately made an impression on him.

At the age of 11, Louis Armstrong dropped out of school and began to sing along with other poor guys on the street for handouts. However, this money is still not enough for a normal life and he starts working for the Karnovsky family, Jewish immigrants who own a garbage company. Being at least still a boy, Louis already sees that his trustees are being oppressed by "white" people.

The poor life forced Armstrong to often go on the path of the law and steal food, because of which he ended up in the isolation ward. There, out of pity, the site manager taught the boy to play the trumpet, which gave the first impetus to the future career of a jazz trumpeter. Now, having learned to play a little, Louis could combine pleasant work with the necessary: ​​in the evenings he performed songs with various groups in clubs, and during the day he wore coal.

By the age of twenty-two, Armstrong already had more or less stable musical earnings, an adopted child, and a wife, with whom he, however, soon broke up. In 1922, Louis Armstrong went to Chicago, where he joined the Creole Jazz Band, with whom he had his first big success. The group has become the leader of the country's jazz movement, and Armstrong is finally making his way out of poverty.

This was followed by a series of long moves from city to city, studio recordings, concert tours, and by 1943 Armstrong settled in New York. There he continues to develop his musical style and work hard. It got to the point that Armstrong gave three hundred concerts a year, and this had a very adverse effect on his health, and in 1959 he suffered a heart attack.

But despite this, recording hit after hit, of which "Hello, Dolly" became the most famous, Louis Armstrong spends his whole life in a busy concert schedule, until his death in 1971. At that time, the musician was 69 years old, and he was already recognized as one of the most influential people in jazz.

Louis Daniel Satchmo » Armstrong(August 4, New Orleans, Louisiana - July 6, New York) - American jazz trumpeter, vocalist and bandleader. The great musician of the 20th century, who (along with Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and John Coltrane) had the greatest influence on the development of jazz, and did a lot to popularize it throughout the world.

Biography

Louis, as he was called in the Creole manner, was born in the poorest Negro area of ​​New Orleans. He grew up in a dysfunctional family (mother is a laundress, worked illegally as a prostitute, father is a day laborer). His father left the family early and the boy, along with his younger sister Beatrice, was given to be raised by his grandmother Josephine, who still remembered the days of slavery. After some time, Armstrong's mother, Mayann, took Louis and later raised him herself (although she never paid due attention to him). They lived in Storyville, an area known for its free spirits, as well as bars, clubs, ballrooms and brothels. Armstrong worked from childhood, delivered coal, sold newspapers and the like.

Armstrong began singing early in a small street vocal ensemble, played drums and trained his ear over the course of several years. He received his first musical education at the Waif's Home correctional boarding camp for colored teenagers in 1913, where he ended up for an accidental mischievous act - firing a pistol on the street on New Year's Eve (the pistol was stolen by him from a policeman - one of his mother's clients ). There he immediately joined the camp brass band and learned to play the tambourine, alto horn, and then mastered the cornet. The orchestra performed the repertoire traditional for that time - marches, polkas and popular songs. By the time his term expired, Louis had already decided to become a musician. Once freed, he began to go to clubs and play borrowed instruments in local orchestras. He was taken under his patronage by King Oliver, who was then considered the best cornet player in the city and whom Louis Armstrong himself considered his real teacher. After Oliver left for Chicago in 1918, Armstrong was recruited into his ensemble by the highly respected trombonist Kid Ory. Louis occasionally begins performing in Oscar "Papa" Celestine's Tuxedo Brass Band, which then included such musicians as Paul Dominguez, Zatty Singleton, Albert Nichols, Barney Bigard and Louis Russell. Participates in jazz parades through the streets of his native city and plays in the Jazz-E-Sazz Band of Fats Marable, who danced on steamboats sailing the Mississippi during the summer season. Marable, a fairly professional band leader, taught the young man the first basics of musical notation and Armstrong becomes a qualified musician. Behind him, gradually, among the musicians, the nickname Sachmo is fixed - an abbreviation for the English Satchel Mouth (mouth-purse).

In 1922, Oliver needed a second cornetist and invited Armstrong to Chicago to play at Lincoln Gardens (a 700-seat restaurant) with his Creole Jazz Band. This band was at that time the brightest jazz line-up in Chicago and the work in this band gave Armstrong a lot for his future career. As part of Oliver's Creole Jazz Band in Chicago, Armstrong made his first recordings. In 1924, he marries a second time (his first wife was a prostitute, a pretty Creole Daisy Parker from New Orleans) to the pianist of the ensemble, Lil Hardin, and at the insistence of his wife begins an independent career. The Armstrongs leave for New York, where he joins the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. There, fame comes to Armstrong, jazz lovers come to listen to the band, often for the sake of his “hot” solos. By this time, Louis Armstrong's own style was finally formed - bright, improvisational and inventive.

During this period, Armstrong participated in the recordings of the Blue Five ensemble of pianist Clarence Williams and worked in various accompanying ensembles with many blues and jazz vocalists (Ma Rainey, Trixie Smith, Clara Smith, Bessie Smith, Alberta Hunter, Maggie Jones, Eva Taylor, Virginia Liston, Margaret Johnson, Sipi Wallace, Perry Bradford).

In 1925, after the expiration of the engagement of Fletcher Henderson, Louis Armstrong returned to Chicago and worked there a lot and successfully. He plays with Erskine Tate in a theatrical show band, where his acting talent is clearly manifested. Makes historic recordings with his best studio line-up "Hot Five". Recordings made during these years with the participation of trombonist Kid Ory, clarinetist Johnny Dodds, banjo player Johnny St. Cyr and pianist Lil Hardin (later Fred Robinson, Jimm Strong, Earl Hines and Zattie Singleton participate in the recordings) become masterpieces of jazz classics. In 1926, Louis was the soloist of the Carroll Dickerson Orchestra, after whose departure Armstrong himself became a bandleader and for a short time led his own orchestra, Louis Armstrong And His Stompers, whose members were Boyd Atkins, Joe Dixon, Al Washington, Earl Hines, Rip Bassett, Pete Briggs, Tubby Hall. In 1927, Pete Briggs and Baby Dodds (Johnny's brother) join the Hot Five studio quintet and a new Hot Seven studio line-up is formed, with which a number of brilliant session recordings are made. At the same time, Armstrong abandoned the cornet and completely switched to the trumpet, which he liked for its brighter sound. He performs in duets with the outstanding pianist Earl Hines and begins to sing in the "scat" manner (for the first time this happens when recording the play "Heebie Jeebies"), getting a huge success with the audience.

Louis Armstrong

In 1929, Louis Armstrong finally moved to New York. The era of big bands is coming and he is increasingly concentrating on dancing, then popular sweet music. Armstrong brings to this musical style his bright individual manner, characteristic of hot jazz, and quickly becomes a national star. Satchmo's talent reaches its peak.

In the 1930s, Louis Armstrong toured a lot, performed with the famous big bands of Louis Russell and Duke Ellington, then in California with the orchestra of Leon Elkins and Les Haight, participated in filming in Hollywood. In 1931 he visits New Orleans with a big band; back in New York, playing in Harlem and on Broadway. A number of tours made to Europe (in the pre-war period since 1933, he performed several times in England, toured Scandinavia, France, Holland) and North Africa brought Armstrong the widest fame both in his homeland (previously in the USA he was popular mainly among the Negro public) and abroad. In between tours, he performs with the orchestras of Charlie Gaines, Chick Webb, Kid Ory, with the Mills Brothers vocal quartet, in theater productions and radio programs, and acts in films.

In 1933, he again leads a jazz band. Since 1935, the entire business part of Armstrong's life has been taken under control by his new manager, Joe Glaser, a seasoned professional in his field. In 1936, his autobiographical book Swing That Music was published in New York. Then health problems come: he endures several operations related to the treatment of an injury to the upper lip (deformation and tissue rupture due to excessive pressure from the mouthpiece and the wrong ear pad), as well as an operation on the vocal cords (with its help, Armstrong tries to get rid of the hoarse timbre of his voice, whose value for his unique performing style he realizes only later).

In 1938, Louis Armstrong marries the fourth (and last) time to the dancer Lucille Wilson, with whom he will live peacefully and happily until the end of his days.

In 1947, Joe Glaser, his manager, assembled for Armstrong the All Stars ensemble, a brilliant jazz band that was focused on performing in the Dixieland style. Initially, it really was an all-star orchestra - then it included, in addition to Louis Armstrong (trumpet, vocals), Earl Hines (piano), Jack Teagarden (trombone), Barney Bigard (clarinet), Bud Freeman (tenor saxophone), Sid Catlett (drums ) and other famous masters of jazz. Subsequently, the musicians often changed, and thanks to their participation in the group, many jazzmen, little known until then, gained great fame.

The All-Stars played mostly Dixieland jazz, as well as jazz arrangements of popular songs, the latter still dominating the ensemble's repertoire. By the mid-50s, Louis Armstrong was one of the world's most famous musicians and showmen, and he also starred in more than 50 films. The US State Department gave him the unofficial title of "Ambassador of Jazz" and sponsored his world tours on numerous occasions. In 1954 he gave the first and only phenomenal concert in the Kremlin Hall of Moscow. In the mid-1950s, when the State Department under Eisenhower was ready to finance his trip to Russia, Louis refused:

• “People would ask me there what is happening in my country. What could I say to them? I have a great life in music, but I feel like any other Negro ... "

Subsequently, in the 60s, various options for his tour in the USSR were repeatedly discussed, but all this remained in the projects.

In 1954 he wrote his second autobiographical book, Satchmo. My Life in New Orleans.

In the future, the popularity of the artist continued to grow due to his tireless and versatile creative activity. Notable is his collaboration with Sydney Bechet, Bing Crosby, Cy Oliver, Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson and other jazz stars, participation in jazz festivals (1948 - Nice, 1956-58 - Newport, 1959 - Italy, Monterey), touring in many Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa. With his assistance, a number of philharmonic jazz concerts were organized at Town Hall and on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. The recording of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, made by him and Ella Fitzgerald in the 1950s, became a classic.

In 1959, Armstrong suffered a heart attack and from that moment on, his health did not allow him to perform fully, but he never stopped performing in concert.

In the 1960s Armstrong works more frequently as a vocalist, recording both new versions of traditional gospel songs ("Go Down Moses") and new songs (e.g. the theme to the film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", "We Have All the Time in the World"). Together with Barbra Streisand, he took part in the musical Hello, Dolly!; released as a separate single, the song "Hello, Dolly!" in his performance reached number one in the US sales charts. Armstrong's last hit was the life-affirming song "What a Wonderful World" (#1 in the UK).

In the late 60s, the artist's health began to deteriorate sharply, but he continues to work. On February 10, 1971, he played and sang for the last time on a TV show with his old stage partner, Bing Crosby. In March, Satchmo and his All Stars played for two more weeks at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. But another heart attack again forced him to go to the hospital, where he stayed for two months. July 5, 1971 Armstrong asks to collect his orchestra for a rehearsal. On July 6, 1971, the greatest jazzman passes away. Heart failure led to kidney failure.

The death of Armstrong caused a real stream of the most sincere and deepest condolences. Many newspapers not only in the United States, but also in other countries (including the Soviet newspaper Izvestia) placed a message on the front page about his death. The funeral was very solemn and broadcast on television throughout the country. On July 8, the body was exhibited for a solemn farewell in the training arena of the National Guard, provided for this purpose by personal order of the President of the United States. President Nixon's statement said:

• “Mrs. Nixon and I share the grief of millions of Americans over the death of Louis Armstrong. He was one of the creators of American art. A man of strong personality, Armstrong won worldwide fame. His brilliant talent and nobility have enriched our spiritual life, made it richer"

Creation

Maestro of Jazz

Played by Louis Armstrong

Looking back at the work of Armstrong, one is amazed at what a huge impact it had on the music of the 20th century. It is almost impossible to turn on the radio or TV and hear music that does not have his influence. Louis Armstrong was one of the greatest musicians ever to play jazz and also one of the most controversial figures in it. Armstrong's trumpet sounded divine, especially when he was on a roll. That is probably why many musicians and listeners were literally blinded by his talent. Therefore, today, for the majority, jazz is primarily Louis Armstrong. Everything that people love jazz for is embodied in this name. And although Louis Armstrong is not all jazz, he is the soul of jazz music.

As the revolutionary trumpeter of his day, Armstrong laid the foundation for all the jazz revolutions to come. Without him, the fate of jazz music could have turned out differently. With the advent of Sachmo, the soft coloring of the sound and collective improvisations fade into the shadows. And Louis Armstrong, with the bright sound of the trumpet, with amazing vibration, with dizzying transitions, with rhythmic emancipation and inexhaustible imagination of his improvisations, expands the idea of ​​​​the possibilities of the trumpet and the musician playing it. Thanks to Armstrong, jazz took a solo path of development.

Armstrong the trumpeter, first of all, struck with his amazing technique. Describing his solo "Chicago" style (derived from New Orleans), the American jazz critic and scholar James Lincoln Collier wrote:

• “His tone was rich and clear, his attack was clean. He had an excellent command of the upper register, he could perform the most difficult passages at a fast pace. The modern technique of playing brass instruments was developed in the 1930s and 1940s by American musicians who performed in dance bands. It must be admitted, however, that all of them, in this case, to a large extent repelled from what Armstrong had done before them.

Famous swing drummer Gene Krupa was not exaggerating when he said:

• “Whatever the style of a jazz musician, he will not play 32 bars without giving a musical tribute to Louis Armstrong. Louis did everything, and did it first.

And famous producer George Avakian wrote:

• “He was the most gifted and skillful of all jazz improvisers. Although there was no such term then, he was the one who “swinged” more than anyone else - quite often the dull performance of any number lit up with a spark of life when Louis began his solo, even if this solo lasted only eight bars. As an innovator, he introduced many new techniques to jazz and introduced a number of fresh ideas that later became clichés for other musicians, but from them, again, new shoots of good music appeared, which, thanks to Louis, became familiar to every person in jazz.

In addition, Louis Armstrong was a unique and inimitable jazz singer. His rather low, hoarse, warm voice was instantly recognizable. His singing was reminiscent of his playing the trumpet. Here he just as brilliantly improvised, placed accents in his own way, changed phrasing, made his voice vibrate. Louis Armstrong developed a school of jazz vocals based on the interpretations of folk blues singers who used their voice as an instrument. Louis showed that the emotional meaning of a lyrical text can be expressed through vocal deviations and purely instrumental improvisations as effectively as through the words themselves. Armstrong sang a wide variety of things - and hits, and blues, and spirituals, and they always sounded like jazz with him, they were a great success with the public. Until now, the influence of the great Satchmo is felt in the performances of almost every jazz vocalist.

Armstrong's work is a standard of jazz evolution, breadth and accessibility. The scope of his interests is confirmed by cooperation and joint performances with musicians of various styles - Dixieland, swing and modern jazz, with symphonic ensembles, spiritual and gospel performers, church choirs, blues singers, as well as participation in philharmonic jazz concerts, musicals, shows, musical films . Armstrong has developed a style that is easily adaptable to any musical context and to any audience. He could simultaneously satisfy the tastes of diametrically opposed categories of listeners (including fans of pop music and hits).

Armstrong is perhaps the most unique personality in the history of jazz. In his work, the maestro managed to combine the incompatible: a uniquely individual type of self-expression with the boundless general availability of music, coarse simplicity and spontaneity, traditionalism with innovation, the Negro ideal of sound production with Europeanized idioms of swing and mainstream.

Armstrong remained the undisputed king of jazz until his death, and his talent did not weaken for a single minute, the power of his influence on the audience did not dry out. His warmth and humor invariably made him dear and close to everyone he met. All the leading masters of jazz condoled on his death - Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Al Hirt, Earl Hines, Terry Glenn, Eddie Condon and many others.

• "If anyone should be called Mr. Jazz, it's Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington said. - It was and will forever remain the epitomy of jazz.”

Speaking on behalf of musicians and on behalf of millions of admirers of his talent, Dizzy Gillespie emphasized:

• "Louis did not die because his music remains and will remain in the hearts of many, many millions of people around the world and in the playing of hundreds of thousands of musicians who have become his followers."

Selected discography

Selected editions of Louis Armstrong on CD

• 1923 - The Young Louis Armstrong
• 1924 - Louis Armstrong And The Blues Singers
• - Hot Fives & Sevens Vol.1
• - Hot Fives & Sevens, vol.2
• 1927 - Hot Fives & Sevens, vol.3
• 1928 - Louis Armstrong And His Orchestra
• - Hot Fives & Sevens, vol.4
• 1930 - Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra
• 1931 - Stardust
• 1932 - The Fabulous Louis Armstrong
• 1933 - More Greatest Hits
• 1934 - Paris Session
• - Rhythm saved The World
• 1936 - Jazz Heritage: Satchmo's Discoveries
• 1937 - New Discoveries
• 1938 - On The Sunny Side Of The Street
• 1939 - Louis Armstrong In The Thirties, vol.1
• 1940 - New Orleans Jazz
• - Satchmo Singles
• - Satchmo At Symphony Hall (live)
• - Satchmo At Symphony Hall, vol.2 (live)
• - New Orleans Days
• - Jazz Concert (live)
• - New Orleans Nights
• - Satchmo On Stage (live)
• - New Orleans To New York
• - Satchmo At Pasadena (live)
• - Louis Armstrong Plays W.C.Handy
• - Latter Day Louis
• - Louis Armstrong Sings The Blues
• - Satch Plays Fats: The Music Of Fats Waller
• - Satchmo The Great (live)
• - Ambassador Satch
• - Great Chicago Concert 1956 (live)
• - American Jazz Festival At Newport (live)
• - Ella and Louis
• - At Pasadena Civic Auditorium, vol.1 (live)
• -Louis Under The Stars
• - Porgy and Bess
• Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson
• -Louis and the Angels
• - Satchmo In Style
• Louis & the Dukes Of Dixieland
• Happy Birthday Louis! (live)
• -Paris Blues
• - Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington
• - Armstrong/Ellington: Together For The First
• - Together For The First Time
• - I Will Wait For You
• -Disney Songs The Satchmo Way
• - The Very Best Of Louis Armstrong (2CD)
• - Louis And The Good Book
• -Grand Collection
• -Louis Live
• - The Katanga Concert (live)
• - In Concert (live)
• - Best Live Concert, vol.1
• -La Vie En Rose
• - What A Wonderful World

Featured DVDs

• Louis Armstrong "Hello Dolly"
• Louis Armstrong "Jazz Festival"
• Louis Armstrong "A Rhapsody in Black and Blue"
• Louis Armstrong "Newport Jazz Festival part 1"
• Louis Armstrong "Newport Jazz Festival part 2"
• Louis Armstrong "In Stuttgart"
• Louis Armstrong
• Louis Armstrong

Bibliography

• Collier J. L. Louis Armstrong. American genius. - M.: Presswerk Publishing House, 2001. ISBN 5-94584-027-0
• Feiertag V. B. Jazz. XX century. Encyclopedic reference book. - St. Petersburg: "SCYTHIA", 2001, p.22-24. ISBN 5-94063-018-9
• Shapiro N. Listen to what I'll tell you ... The history of jazz, told by the people who created it. - Novosibirsk: Sib.univ.izd-vo, 2006. ISBN 5-94087-307-3
• Bohlander K., Holler K.-H. Jazzfuhrer.- Leipzig, 1980.

Louis Armstrong (1901 - 1971)

American jazz trumpeter, vocalist, great 20th-century musician who popularized jazz

Did you know that the surname Armstrong is translated from English as "Strong hand?"

Louis Armstrong was born in the poorest Negro area of ​​New Orleans.

His family was dysfunctional - his mother worked as a laundress, his father was a simple worker, he left his family early and Louis, along with his younger sister, were given to be raised by their grandmother Josephine, who still remembered the days of slavery.After some time, the mother took Louis and began to raise him herself.

They lived in an area known for its free spirits, as well as bars, clubs, dance halls.The family barely made ends meet, so from childhood, Louis had to work, he delivered coal, sold newspapers and the like.

Louis showed early musical talent. At a fairly young age, he began to sing in a small street vocal ensemble, played drums and trained his ear over a few years.

Once a teenager Louis, without malicious intent, just out of mischief, stole a gun from a policeman to shoot in the street on New Year's Eve. For this he wassent to a boarding camp for colored teenagers. There he received his first musical education. He was immediately taken to the camp brass band, where he learned to play the tambourine, alto horn, and then mastered the cornet.The orchestra performed the traditional repertoire of that time - marches, polkas and popular songs.

By the time his term expired, Louis had already made up his mind to become a musician. Once freed, he began to go to clubs and play borrowed instruments in local orchestras.He was taken under his patronage by King Oliver, who was then considered the best cornet player in the city and whom Louis Armstrong himself considered his real teacher all his life.

After Oliver left for Chicago, Armstrong found himself in an ensemble led by the highly respected trombonist of the time, Kid Ory.In addition, Armstrong participated in jazz parades through the streets of his native city and played in various other jazz bands,who danced on steamboats sailing the Mississippi during the summer season. One fairly professional band leadertaught the young man the first basics of musical notation, thus, Armstrong became a qualified musician.

After some time, Oliver took Armstorg as a second cornetist to his place in Chicago. Oliver's Creole Jazz Band was at the time the most vibrant jazz band in Chicago,work in it gave Armstrong a lot for his future career. Armstrong made his first recordings with this orchestra.

Soon Armstrong began an independent career in New York,where he joined the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra.There he became famous, jazz lovers came to listen to the band, often for the sake of his "hot" solos.By this time, Louis Armstrong's own style was finally formed - bright, improvisational and inventive.

During this period, Armstrong participated in recordings and worked in various backing ensembles with many blues and jazz vocalists.

Back in Chicago, Armstrong worked hard and successfully. Around the same time, his acting talent manifested itself. He even played in a theater show band.Recordings made during these years with the participation of famous musicians have become masterpieces of jazz classics.

Armstrong gradually abandoned the cornet and completely switched to the trumpet, which he liked for its brighter sound.He began to perform in duets with outstanding musicians and sing in the scat style, having a huge success with the audience.

Louis Armstrong was a unique and inimitable jazz singer. His rather low, hoarse, warm voice was instantly recognizable. His singing was reminiscent of his playing the trumpet. Here he just as brilliantly improvised, placed accents in his own way, made his voice vibrate. Armstrong developed a school of jazz vocals based on the interpretations of folk blues singers who used their voice as an instrument. Louis showed that the emotional meaning of a text can be expressed not only with words, but also with the help of voice and instruments. Armstrong sang a wide variety of things: hits, blues, and other songs, and they always sounded like jazz to him.

At some point, Armstrong finally left Chicago and moved to New York. He began to pay more and more attention to dance music.He brought to this musical style his bright individual style, characteristic of jazz, and quickly became a national star.

Louis Armstrong toured a lot, performed with famous big bands (for example, Duke Ellington), and participated in filming in Hollywood.Tours brought him the widest fame both in his homeland (before in the USA he was popular mainly among the Negropublic) and abroad. Between tours, he continued to perform on Broadway, participate in theatrical productions and radio programs, to act in films.

Armstrong began leading his own jazz band. He wrote two autobiographical books at different periods of his life.Around the same period, he began to have the first health problems, he underwent several operations related to the treatment of an injury to his upper lip.(deformation and rupture of tissues due to the constant playing of musical instruments), as well as surgery on the vocal cords(with her help, for some reason, Armstrong tried to get rid of the hoarse timbre of his voice, the value of which for his uniquehe realized the performing manner only later).

Louis Armstrong was one of the world's most famous musicians and showmen,In addition, he starred in more than 50 films. The US State Department gave him the unofficial title of "Ambassador of Jazz" and sponsored his world tours on numerous occasions.

When the State Department was ready to fund his trip to Russia, Louis refused: “People would ask me there what is happening in my country. What could I say to them? I have a great life in music, but I feel like any other Negro ... "

Armstrong actively participated in jazz festivals (1948 - Nice, 1956-58 - Newport, 1959 - Italy, Monterey), toured all over the world.The classic was made by him andElla Fitzgerald in a 1950s recording of Gershwin's Porgy and Bess.

At the age of 60, Armstrong suffered a heart attack, and from that moment on, his health no longer allowed him to perform to the fullest, but he never stoppedconcert performances.

Armstrong now worked more as a vocalist, recording both new versions of traditional songs ("Go Down Moses"),as well as new songs (for example, the theme to the film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", "We Have All the Time in the World").Together with Barbra Streisand, he took part in the musical Hello, Dolly!; released as a separate single, the song "Hello, Dolly!"in his performance reached the first place in the American charts of sales. Armstrong's latest hit was the life-affirming song "What a Wonderful World"(first place in the UK).

The artist's health began to deteriorate sharply, but he continued to work. On February 10, 1971, he played and sang for the last time on a TV show.In March, he still performed in New York with his orchestra. Another heart attack again forced him to go to the hospital for 2 months.And in July, the greatest jazzman passed away.

The death of Armstrong caused a real stream of the most sincere and deepest condolences. Many newspapers not only in the USA,but in other countries (including the Soviet newspaper Izvestia) they placed on the front page a message about his death.The funeral was very solemn and broadcast on television throughout the country. The body was put on display for the solemnfarewell in the training arena of the National Guard, provided for these purposes by personal order of the President of the United States.

In a statement made by President Nixon, said: “Mrs. Nixon and I share the grief of millions of Americans over the death of Louis Armstrong. He was one of the creators of American art.A man of strong personality, Armstrong won worldwide fame. His brilliant talent and nobility have enriched our spiritual life,made it richer."

Who it

Heated discussions on the Web revolved around participation in the most popular project of the First Channel "Voice" of an artist named Charlie Armstrong. The man appeared at the blind auditions, introducing himself as a relative of the world legend of jazz and performing the immortal hit of Barry White My first my last my everything. Life managed to find out who the man who got into the Russian music show really is by discovering his real documents.

Hearing the first notes of Charlie Armstrong's singing, the mentors began to wonder if it was Barry White or not. However, only Polina Gagarina turned to the man, thereby identifying the vocalist in her team. Charlie told the audience and mentors his story that he came to the show from the Caribbean, his mother is from Suriname, and his father is from Barbados. When Grigory Leps nevertheless decided to clarify whether this was Louis Armstrong's nephew, in response he received an unexpected statement for everyone: "No, grandson." Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the artist was already acting like a world star. According to the participants of the project, at the casting, the foreigner kept himself apart, demonstrating a contemptuous attitude towards others.

At the same time, members of his support group suggested that all contestants take a photo "with a star," one of the casting participants told Life. To be honest, everyone behind the scenes had serious doubts about the authenticity of his relationship with Louis Armstrong.

Doubts were confirmed when Life had a passport of a vocal show participant. According to the document, it was not Charlie Armstrong from the Caribbean, but a 46-year-old citizen of the Netherlands, a certain Charlie Parnell. As Life managed to find out, "Armstrong's grandson" appeared in the capital's get-together long before the visit to the show "Voice". The singer's calling card at social events was the performance of the famous compositions of Louis Armstrong in the same manner, with an identical voice timbre. The man skillfully diluted his speech with sentimental stories about a star relative.The legend of kinship with a world star was believed not only by the townsfolk, but also by representatives of show business. For example, DJ Smash released a joint video with a black artist. Life contacted the former PR manager of Charlie Armstrong, who admitted to having a fake birth certificate from the artist.

I am ashamed of my professionalism and reputation, for this work with a swindler, - the ex-director of Armstrong told Life, who asked not to give his last name. - When Charlie asked me: "Do you even have anything to do with that same Louis?" - The answer was ambiguous: "It's up to you to decide how you think it will be." This immediately alerted me, but then I became aware that the birth certificate, which Charlie is so proud of, is fake.

According to promoters who worked with "Armstrong's grandson", during his four years in the capital, he replaced several Russian-speaking PR people and directors: people were fired as soon as they started asking too many questions.

Charlie brought everyone down, - the director shared his memories of working with Armstrong, - He sings really well, always live, his voice is really indistinguishable from Armstrong. But he looks only like a parodist akin to Galkin or Penkin. Charlie is a very inadequate person. He allowed himself to constantly yell at everyone, swear and throw tantrums over trifles.

Doubts about the existence of Louis Armstrong's grandson are supported by materials in the foreign press. Thus, the authoritative foreign editions of the Daily Mail and the New York Times, including the official website of the Louis Armstrong House Museum, report that the musician and his wives had no children, pointing to the possible barrenness of the jazz legend. It is only known for certain that Armstrong established custody of the three-year-old mentally ill son of his cousin's daughter, who died shortly after giving birth, but the man also had no children. It is also noteworthy that Charlie Armstrong does not tour in his homeland, performing only in Russia and Eastern Europe. At the same time, according to the ex-directors of the singer, Charlie is in great demand among representatives of the business elite who want to enjoy his velvet voice at their corporate parties and birthdays.