Louis Armstrong, In His Own Words: Selected Writings

by Louis Armstrong, Thomas Brothers (Editor)

Trumpeter. Singer. Actor. Entertainer. In his life, Louis Armstrong thrilled audiences worldwide and influenced countless musicians. But beyond being a revolutionary musician and an enchanting stage personality, Louis Armstrong was a writer--and he was prolific.

This unparalleled collection of Armstrong's candid writings reveals a side of the artist not widely known to his fans. With idiosyncratic language and punctuation that recalls his musical virtuosity, Armstrong presents his thoughts on his life and career--from abject poverty in New Orleans to playing in the famous cafes, cabarets, and saloons of Storyville; from his big break in 1922 with the King Oliver band to his storming of New York; from his breaking of color barriers in Hollywood to the infamous King of the Zulus incident in 1949; and finally, to his last days in Queens, New York.

Along the way, these writings reveal Armstrongs honest, and often controversial, opinions about racism, marijuana, bebop, and fellow jazz artists. Whether a devoted Armstrong fan or a jazz neophyte, everyone will find here an illuminating, unvarnished portrayal of this truly compelling man.

Genres: Music, Jazz, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir, History

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

American musician Louis Armstrong, known as Satchmo, a virtuoso trumpeter and popular, gravelly voiced singer, greatly influenced the development of jazz.

Louis Armstrong, nicknamed Pops, a charismatic, innovative performer, improvised soloing, the main fundamental change, shifted focus from the collective to the player. Of the 20th century, he most famously first played cornet player and then reached best toward the end of his career.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_A...

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting document. Passionately written fragments of a man who loved language and really wanted to tell his life story in his own voice. His story is a remarkable one and the overwhelming impression I have of him from this is that he loved people. Certainly he recognized that people have undesirable traits like laziness, prejudice and jealousy but he had a lifelong interest and appreciation of people in general. He wants to shape his story as an uncomplicated man who lived to his own code and had a wide range of experience on the world stage because of his talent. Despite his candor about some of his weaknesses, one suspects this is not a hard, unbiased look. This can be fascinating if you can tackle the fragments with attendant repeating of stories and disjointed chronology.

[MaryLucille · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t say I read it but I also can’t say I didn’t. I tried to do it justice but my mind could not stay with a lot I read. This book would be just the thing for musicians but for uneducated/unfamiliar me, it was a bit too much detailed information of who was who and what was what in the turn-of-the-2oth-century jazz world.
I do appreciate Armstrong’s hurrah and encouragement to those who take interest in a young boy who has a hard home life and recognize and support a work ethic and developing talent. I also appreciate a glance into the world of New Orleans and Chicago in the early 1900s.
My star rating is highly personal. Please note the great reviews it receives! It is a good book for the right audience. I am disappointed I was not that audience.

[Chadwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only a crucial resource for anyone interested in the history of jazz, or off pop music in general, but a phenomenal, fun, and singular piece of writing. Armstrong was an almost compulsive writer, churning out thousands of words in letters, articles, and autobiographical writings. All of these are stamped with his wonderfully idiosyncratic prose style. Armstrong's use of nonstandard capitalization and punctuation seems to have been an attempt to score the cadences and emphases of his speaking voice. As such, this is one of the most musical pieces of prose writing that I have ever encountered.

[Joseph Pisano · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished this book, and it is an AMAZING read into the the times and life Louis Armstrong. No jazz "buff" or lover of jazz music and history should go without this in their library. A 5 Star + !

[Neal Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the only book TRULY WRITTEN by Louis Armstrong and should be read if you want to know how HE FELT about lots of things racially and musically and life in general.
Despite his attempts to do his best,I think it also reflects on his inability to get a better education.
Despite all this it also shows his ability to achieve a successful life as an entertainer.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this after seeing multiple memes about the Jewish family that took in Armstrong as a boy. That sure was interesting, but I learned so much more, including very candid stories about being Black in the US. This is a valuable resource for filling the historical knowledge gaps (like mine) about American society early 20th Century.

[Bruce Burger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked reading this book. It was fascinating to learn about his background and ultimately, the origins of jazz. I was completely unaware of his obsession with the typewriter and that was another fascination with the book. Reading it, in his own words, as opposed to an author writing about him was insightful and interesting.

[Oscar Ramirez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it was very cool to read this book written in Armstrong’s own words, it would have been nice to have more context. This book would be a good complement to a biography of Armstrong.

[Jeff Crompton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Louis Armstrong, that genius of American music, was an avid writer. He traveled with a typewriter, and in hotel rooms before and after his shows he wrote letters, articles, memoirs, and at least one book. (It's uncertain how much of his first "autobiography," Swing That Music, is really his work.) He had a lively, original, and enjoyable writing style, but he definitely needed an editor. He rambled, repeated himself, and his use of punctuation was idiosyncratic to the point of being bizarre. His second "official" book, Satchmo, My Life in New Orleans, works so well because it's assuredly Armstrong's voice we're hearing/reading, but it has been edited into digestible form. In His Own Words is a collection of Armstrong's writings that have edited only minimally - obvious typos and unintentional misspellings have been corrected, but these pieces are presented more or less as Satchmo wrote them. As such, it's not always an easy read, but it's pretty revealing; there's a lot here that would not have been acceptable for publication during Armstrong's lifetime. The reader will learn a lot about his love for marijuana and Swiss Kriss laxative, for instance. Not for everyone, but those who love Louis Armstrong will enjoy this.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Armtrong is rare among major Jazz figures in that he has left a rich legacy of written and spoken word material in addition to his music. He often spent hours a day in correspondence, wrote two autobiographies and several other long autobiographical pieces.

Louis Armstrong in his own words is a fascinating insight into this material. It can at times be a little difficult to decipher the meaning in Armstrong's idiosyncratic writing style, which is wonderfully like hearing him speak. His piece about his childhood years working for the Jewish Karnofsky family is reproduced here in full, and is a great insight into turn-of-the-century New Orleans, quite apart from the biographical information it provides (it is in this piece where Louis explains it was the Karnofskys who helped him buy his first cornet).

There is an interesting piece of autobiographical writing that expounds on Armstrong's love for Marijuana, as well as a very revealing letter to Joe Glaser talking about his regular paymets to his mistresses.

This book is well worth a look for anyone interested in Armstrong, and indeed anyone who has an interest in the American music scene in the 1920s, as it related to Jazz.

Check out my other reviews at http://aviewoverthebell.blogspot.com.au/

[Brian Master · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been a lifelong fan and visiting the Louis Armstrong House in Corona, queens, NYC, this book is a great companion to 'Satchm0-My Life in New Orleans' and 'The Genius of Louis Armstrong' by Gary Giddens. I could hear his beautiful voice. His laughs..his naughtiness. His candid opinions as though he was talking to me. This book is a keeper..a reference book. I'll read it again and play the tunes as they come up in the book, by Louis and other musicians of note on his journey. Thanks Pops!

[Cheryl McEnaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's nothing better than reading Louis' own words to describe his incredible life, career, and contemporaries. Thoroughly enjoyed. If you've read and enjoyed his early autobiography "Satchmo," this is a great addendum to that content.

[Daniel]

Love this man!