During the month of Louis Armstrong’s birthday, I'm remembering some important events in the great jazz trumpeter's life. He was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans. While growing up he was influenced by musician Joe King Oliver, who was his mentor and father figure. In 1922, he followed King Oliver from New Orleans to Chicago and continued to be influenced by him.
A TV program that aired last year included film footage from the1950s with Armstrong in a performance with the New York Philharmonic and Leonard Bernstein. After the program, there was an interview with Bernstein regarding Louis Armstrong.
Bernstein said in a heartfelt way that what Armstrong was doing was real, true, honest, simple, and noble. As I watched Bernstein utter this passionate statement about Louis Armstrong, I thought, Wow! What a wonderfully warm and sincere compliment.
And I thought about Armstrong's performance of the song "It's a Wonderful World" and how inspiring it is.
Louis Armstrong died on July 06, 1971 in Queens, New
York. His life is celebrated inside The Louis Armstrong House Museum in New York.
