popmatters.com — The result is the most nuanced written work on this seminal figure in American cultural history. Indeed, this book is designed for far more than the jazz fan or Armstrong admirer; anyone interested in African-American culture and the nature of creative genius period will find this book a page turner.
Nov 26, 2009 View in Crawl 4
thebifmanNov 27, 2009
Not just a great trumpet player, the man pioneered jazz as the soloistic art form. Now if only it had maintained its integrity as a dance music rather than becoming a flashy note-pissing contest.
sreyanotfilcDec 2, 2009
I agree up to a point. Jazz could be both ways. Sure, jazz became a very complex artform, but it's because it's purely a musician's music (if that makes sense). Competition allowed musicians more freedom to "express" themselves instead of entertaining the masses. When a trumpeter his a high note, another one is trying to outdo that note with an even higher one. When a sax player plays fast, another one is working on more complex and speedy passages. The way jazz is set up, it's only natural for it to be this "note-pissing" contest. The masses like music that they can relate to. Coltrane is one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, yet most people would be turned of by his long and complex solos. Kenny G on the other hand tends to play the same things over and over. Neither one is is wrong with their style of playing, but the simple passages by Kenny G resonates with the masses. So instead of feeding into the masses, jazz split into an entertainment and a poetic brand (where most players went with the latter).Even the entertainment brand has a tough time getting seats compared to the Lady Gagas and Justin Timberlakes of the world. Nothing wrong with it. I happen to like jazz a lot. Jazz is to Pop as Poetry is to Rap. Both have great qualities and not so great qualities, but the latter in the analogy is much more able to entertain more people. (sorry for the long rant)