Details
Synopsis
From his poor, working class childhood in New Orleans to his eventual exalted position as a world ambassador of jazz, the story of Louis Armstrong is a classic American odyssey. Immersed in the music and colorful street life of his native city from birth, Armstrong actually gained his first musical experience from the white, Jewish Karnoffsky family of junk merchants, for whom he drummed up business on a cheap tin horn; the family encouraged his musical education, helping him to buy his first cornet and kindling his belief that music should transcend racial and cultural barriers. Armstrong's childhood, his early professional life performing in the brothels of New Orleans, and his later emergence on the national and international jazz scenes are fascinatingly recounted in Laurence Bergreen's lively biography, LOUIS ARMSTRONG: AN EXTRAVAGANT LIFE, which minutely examines the trumpeter's numerous marriages, his often shady business affairs (Armstrong was no stranger to gangsters; his manager started out as a bootlegger and pimp), and his musical legacy, including the first recorded scat singing on his epochal Hot Five recordings. Comprehensive and vividly descriptive, LOUIS ARMSTRONG is a supremely authoritative account of the life story of a jazz legend.
| Size | | Length: | 564 pages | | Height: | 10.0 in | | Width: | 6.8 in | | Thickness: | 2.0 in | | Weight: | 34.4 oz |
Industry Reviews
"Casting a wide net, Mr. Bergreen gathers many, many sources and tidbits and weaves them together into a coherent, engaging narrative."
Wall Street Journal - Roxanne Orgill (06/26/1997)
"Those seeking thoughtful analysis of Armstrong's music are advised to look elsewhere....But Bergreen's biography is excellent when dealing with the colorful drama of Armstrong's career."
San Francisco Chronicle Book Review - Ted Gioia (06/29/1997)
"The presence of Armstrong's unique voice turns what might have otherwise been a routine biography into a grand success."
O'Brian
"The jazz world has been waiting for a long biography to set Armstrong's story straight. The one that Bergreen tells and the way he tells it are compelling. The prose throughout is lucid and stylish, and Bergreen's love for his subject comes through on every page....For anyone without an obsessive knowledge of Armstrong, Bergreen's book will be a great place to start acquiring one. There is certainly no time like the present to become an Armstrongian."
Yaffe
"A meticulously researched, vibrant biography, which has the potential to become the definitive word on Armstrong's life and remarkable career."
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