Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong, by Terry Teachout
I recently had the mixed pleasure of reading the newest biography of the great Satchmo, entitled Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong, by Terry Teachout. Having previously read Teachout's The Skeptic: A Life of H.L. Mencken, I'd expected a reasonably satisfying read, fueled by extensive research and delivered in rather pedestrian prose. As it turns out, that's exactly what the book offers.
My fellow blogger Dave Callanan named it one of the "Best Books of December" and had the following to say by way of justification:
"Crafted with a musician's ear and an historian's eye, Pops is a vibrant biography of the iconic Louis Armstrong that resonates with the same warmth as ol' Satchmo’s distinctive voice. Wall Street Journal critic Terry Teachout draws from a wealth of previously unavailable material – including over 650 reels of Armstrong's own personal tape recordings – to create an engaging profile that slips behind the jazz legend's megawatt smile. Teachout reveals that the beaming visage of 'Reverend Satchelmouth' was not a mark of racial subservience, but a clear symbol of Louis's refusal to let anything cloud the joy he derived from blowing his horn. 'Faced with the terrible realities of the time and place into which he had been born,' explains Teachout, 'he didn't repine, but returned love for hatred and sought salvation in work.' Armstrong was hardly impervious to the injustices of his era, but in his mind, nothing was more sacred than the music."
Frankly, I think that's rather higher praise than the book deserves, and Teachout himself all but recommends Armstrong's own Satchmo over the book at hand. Nevertheless, there's a lot on offer here for the trumpet enthusiast, the armchair jazz scholar, or the lover of musical Americana.
Among the most interesting sub-plots is the fluctuating opinions of Armstrong held by his fellow black musicians in the States. Dizzy Gillespie, for one, for years publicly declared Armstrong as just this side of Uncle Tom before eventually recognizing his trailblazing predecessor for the inarguable giant that he remains today.
Most surprising to me, though, was the fact that Armstrong was a life-long user and advocate of marijuana, to the extent that, in his early days, he even pushed it on a number of his sidemen before going into the studio. Teachout returns again and again to Pops' marijuana use, ladeling an almost disproportionate amount of ink on the topic. To wit:
"The word muggles was one of many synonyms for marijuana used by jazz musicians in the twenties. It was also called 'tea' and 'sh[*]t,' and those who smoked it were 'vipers'... [A]ll that is known for sure is that [Armstrong] started smoking it on a regular basis in 1928 and continued to do so for the rest of his life. He would later explain to an acquaintance that it 'makes you feel good, man. It relaxes you, makes you forget all the bad things that happen to a Negro. It makes you feel wanted, and when you're with another tea smoker it makes you feel a special kinship.' It was also, unlike alcohol, legal, though by 1931 twenty-nine states had outlawed its sale and use."
Those looking to pursue overt references in Armstrong's music should start with "Muggles"...
-- Jason Kirk
china wholesale on November 27, 2011 at 10:59 PM
He also left behind a wealth of photographs.One uncredited shot in the book captures the portly Armstrong in a messy hotel room,wearing nothing but white briefs,his trumpet lying in an open case in the foreground and the tape recorder perched on a table in the back.Teachout brings a fresh perspective that,while candid about the ways 'Pops' could hold himself back artistically,celebrates his ambition and capacity for renewal. The other knock against Armstrong is that if white Americans loved him so much,he must have been an 'Uncle Tom,'a notion Teachout neatly demolishes.
怀淰＠＾过厾 on September 02, 2010 at 11:55 PM
MTS Converter on October 12, 2011 at 12:54 AM
Cryptic messages written in the sky over lower Manhattan that turned out to be part of a kooky art project mystified and unnerved New Yorkers Sunday afternoon. http://www.mtsconverter.nl
Just after 4 p.m. a plane wrote the words "Last Chance" in the air. The message was preceded by"Lost Our Lease" and followed by "Now Open." http://www.mtsconverter.nl/mts-converter-for-mac.htm
Sky Remote on March 12, 2011 at 03:13 AM
Louie your gravelly voice will be sorely missed R.I.P
Openbox S9 on March 02, 2011 at 01:58 PM
I can't believe Louis didn't make the Rolling Stone top 100 greatest of all time list. Is influence in vocal style is unparalleled
Drum kit on January 25, 2011 at 09:39 PM
The man himself strongly disliked having it pronounced "louie".He pronounced it "lewis", and asked others to do the same.There are many books about Louis Armstrong,but oddly no one until now has written the definitive chronological Louis Armstrong biography,said Michael Cogswell,director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum.
DSTT on January 23, 2011 at 07:24 PM
He also left behind a wealth of photographs.One uncredited shot in the book captures the portly Armstrong in a messy hotel room,wearing nothing but white briefs,his trumpet lying in an open case in the foreground and the tape recorder perched on a table in the back.Teachout brings a fresh perspective that,while candid about the ways 'Pops' could hold himself back artistically,celebrates his ambition and capacity for renewal. The other knock against Armstrong is that if white Americans loved him so much,he must have been an 'Uncle Tom,'a notion Teachout neatly demolishes.
怀淰＠＾过厾 on September 02, 2010 at 11:55 PM
again and again to Pops' marijuana use, ladeling an almost disproportionate amount of ink on the topic. To wit: