Honoring Louis Armstrong
Today I would like to honor and pay tribute to Louis Armstrong. Armstrong, the grandson of slaves, was one of the most influential jazz musicians in history. In fact, Dizzy Gillespie said, ”Louis Armstrong’s station in the history of jazz is umimpeachable. If it weren’t for him, there wouldn’t be any of us.” There were not many opportunities for poverty stricken black children at the turn of the 20th Century in the South, so it was not a surprise that Armstrong ended up at the Jones Home for Colored Waifs, where he learned music and played in his first brass band. While Armstrong was a dedicated supporter of the civil rights movement, he was not as vocal as many of his peers would have liked. I leave you with one of my favorites of Armstrong: click here.
