Louis Armstrong: An Ageless Icon Revisited
Zoom – 10:30 am – Noon
March 12, 19, 26, April 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
In the words of Wynton Marsalis, the sound of Armstrong’s horn “was a pure spiritual essence, the sound of America and of Freedom.” Drawing on extensive fresh research, we explore that essence and how it originated in his hardscrabble upbringing, strong work ethic and competitive streak. Included are the early influences of his time in the Colored Waifs’ Home, opera, clarinet players and how these helped shape his inclusive view of jazz. As he once put it, “anything you can express to the public is jazz.” Marsalis’s use of the word “freedom” underscores a key point—that Armstrong laid the foundation for the jazz solo and the idea of playing “hot” away from the score. This was the case with his seminal groups the Hot Five and the Hot Seven, where his second wife, Lil Hardin, deserves much credit. The balance of the course covers iconic musical selections, duets with Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald and others, and Armstrong as activist, political ambassador and movie actor. (Will include some material from a previous course.)
- Week 1: Child with Back o’ Town background
- Week 2: Black Benny, Bechet, and opera
- Week 3: In Thrall of Papa Joe
- Week 4: A “high powered chick” hatches a soloist
- Week 5: Duets with Bing, Ella, Duke, and others
- Week 6: Becoming Ambassador Satch: from Memphis to Moscow
- Week 7: Actor and musician in movies
- Week 8: Hello Dolly, What a Wonderful World and a “daughter” goes public
Joshua Berrett is an internationally recognized authority on Louis Armstrong with a major article, Louis Armstrong and Opera and two books on Satchmo. He earned a BA from the University of Cape Town in South Africa, an MA from Columbia University and a PhD from the University of Michigan. He has also studied at the Manhattan School of Music, Juilliard, and the Tanglewood Music Center. He is a Professor Emeritus at Mercy University, a violinist, and the author of many publications on music. He has appeared on NPR, made presentations nationally and abroad, in such countries as Italy, Israel and South Africa. With his wife, Lynne, he is co-founder of the non-profit Ageless Mind Project, Inc.