Neil Armstrong

Louis Armstrong was a lot of things while he was alive. He was a singer, a soloist, a film star, a comedian and also a fellow trumpeter (“Louis Armstrong Biography”). He wrote many hits during his time such as Starburst, La Vie En Rose and What A Wonderful World (“Louis Armstrong Biography”). Throughout not only his career, but also his life, he faced many struggles. Living in the early Nineteenth Century was already hard enough for a young black man but even harder for a young black…

This year I studied four texts, two of which were autobiographies, and the other two were documentaries. The texts are “It’s not about the bike” written by Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins, “Open an Autobiography” written by Andre Agassi, “Kevin’s Sentence” presented by Bob Carty from the Canadian broadcasting company and “Over the edge” presented by Linden Macintyre from Canada’s Fifth Estate programme. All four of these texts share the significant theme of overcoming adversity which can…

Louis Armstrong also known as Satchmo and or Pops was a great American Jazz artist who came from very humble beginnings to become one of the greatest music legends of all times. Known not only for his great talents on the trumpet but, for the cornet and his scat-style singing. A style of vocal jazz creativeness in which the vocalist alternates nonsense syllables for lyrics. Scat singing is often used to emulate the type of musical line that a jazz instrumentalist would play. Armstrong…

Charlie Parker, or the ‘Bird’, was one of the best saxophone players in the world. His unique style of playing combined with this ability to combine chords rarely used in jazz, flowing seamlessly between them made Parker one of the greats. As a teenager, Parker was allowed the opportunity to play with the famous drummer Jo Jones, drummer of the Count Basie band, a most popular swing bands of the time. Parker enters his solo and starts to show off his unique style, but then he messes up, losses…

Louis Armstrong used jazz to change the music world and left a lasting effect on the entertainment industry. Armstrong was born in New Orleans to fifteen year old Mary Ann and twenty year old Willie. His whole life, Armstrong identified his birthday as July 4, 1900. It is now know his actual birth date was August 4, 1901. Armstrong’s young parents were not ready for a child so Josephine, Willie’s mother, raised him until he was five. Over those five years, Armstrong did not see much of his…

Benny Goodman was named the King of Swing because he among many “ground breaking figures as Louis Armstrong or Charlie Parker” was the only one that had “explored the expressive potential of his instrument more influential” (Teachout 66). He also had a “bright tone and violent get controlled style the united with a performance unbeatable by any existing…

Jazz is one of the greatest genres of music. Jazz was the single, greatest influence of music in the 20th century. Jazz made dancing to music popular and evolutionized dances. It gave African Americans an important role in the 1920s. Jazz music led to the creation of new music genres and this made Jazz a great thing to remember in the 20s. Jazz music influenced dancing to music and new types of dance moves that go with music. Types of dance moves like the Charleston involved partners dancing…

I wrote my music essay on the movie Hot Pepper. Hot pepper was released in 1973. The documentary alternates brief scenes of Clifton Chenier and his band playing in local joints in Lake Charles, informal conversation between members of the Creole community, and scenic shots of the people and places of Southern Louisiana, Lafayette. Most of the community is African American and speak french. Chenier is considered the king of Zydeco, a blend of blues and R&B music. During the shows of Clifton…

Duke Ellington is an originator of big-band jazz, Duke Ellington was an American composer, pianist and band leader who composed thousands of scores over his 50 year career. Duke Ellington was born on April 29, 1899 In Washington, D.C. At the age of 7 he started learning piano and got the nickname duke. He wrote his first composition ‘soda fountain rag’ at the age of 15. He was awarded an art Scholarship in the Pratt institute in Brooklyn, New York, Ellington followed his passion for ragtime…

For the Jazz Concert that I attended I saw the Nico Lembo Trio perform at Venkman’s in the Historic Fourth Ward of Atlanta. The Trio, consisting of drums, trombone, and electronic keyboard, had a sound that was heavily inspired by the “Cool Style” of Jazz in the early 1950’s with some hints of John Coltrane inspired Free Jazz elements. Throughout most of the performance the Trio played traditional instrumental jazz including classic songs by artists such as Miles Davis along with some original…