Louis Armstrong, in his own words : selected writings /

The writing of jazz great Louis Armstrong has been public for many years, starting with his first autobiographical work, Swing That Music (1936), published when Armstrong was only halfway through his life. That book, like Armstrong's Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans (1954), was informative but incomplete, and seriously "sanitized." This fascinating new volume presents a great variety of Armstrong's voluminous writings in as close to their original form as has ever been published. Brothers (Duke Univ.) has faithfully transcribed the idiosyncratic language and absolutely individual italicization and punctuation that characterized Armstrong's original documents. Strong language and sensitive topics have also been left untouched. Among the documents that appear are letters to friends, critics, and fans; articles that originally appeared in journals; and miscellaneous previously private documents that Armstrong evidently intended for publication. Although the language and punctuation initially prove somewhat distracting, once the reader becomes acclimated these characteristics evince a style that is clearly a reflection of a very individual conversational voice. This is not primarily a volume of history, but rather an absorbing look at previously unknown facets of one of the last century's musical geniuses. Not an essential item, but a valuable addition to extensive collections. K. R. Dietrich; Ripon College

In introducing previously unpublished and fugitive writings by Armstrong, Brothers notes that no other major jazz musician wrote as much as Armstrong did. Moreover, Armstrong wrote without help. His publications were edited to conform with standard usage, but he never employed an as-told-to collaborator or rewriter. Only slightly streamlining Armstrong's style, Brothers reproduces Armstrong's underlinings and unorthodox punctuation. Armstrong used those devices, Brothers says, for tone as well as emphasis, and they show him trying to be as expressive in prose as he was in music. Brothers' efforts make for an eccentric-looking yet very accessible text. In the longest, most personal pieces, Armstrong is acutely conscious of his worth as a musician and a black American public figure; he warmly admires Jews because of the early encouragement he got from a New Orleans Jewish family; and he criticizes lack of initiative in too many black Americans. Scholarly but approachable and engrossing, the book adds vitally to our knowledge of one of the greatest twentieth-century Americans. --Ray Olson

In this collection jazz trumpeter Armstrong (1900-71) gives a fascinating glimpse into his "early musical influences, rise to fame, life on the road, role in the Civil Rights movement, and final years." (LJ 9/15/99) (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

These writings from jazz great Louis Armstrong swing with the same warmth, rhythms, and inventive phrasing that made his music so popular. Armstrong toured with a typewriter and used it often for journals, writing letters to friends or strangers, and supplying reporters with material about his life. Eavesdropping backstage on Armstrong and his bandmates would make worthwhile reading for any jazz fan or historian, regardless of Armstrong's ability as a writer. But Armstrong writes well, in a style completely his own. Editor Brothers provides context and insight through short introductions to each piece. But he has a deep respect for Armstrong and has interfered as little as possible with his idiosyncratic writing. Armstrong developed a unique usage of quotation marks, commas, dashes, and underscoring that gives the writing its rhythm. In a letter to his manager, Joe Glaser, he writes ``I'Just, Love, Your, Checks, in, My POCKETS''OH' They look so pretty, until, I hate like hell to cash them.'' Armstrong uses jazz argot, much of it now assimilated into the language, translating when he thinks it necessary: ``Here's how we were busted (arrested to you) . . .'' Of some sharp sight-reading musicians he writes, 'They might read a Fly Speck, if it get in the way.'' The collection covers Armstrong's entire life, from his poor beginnings in New Orleans to his heyday in Chicago to his last years in Corona, New York. But the most compelling reading comes from Armstrong on his passions for music, 'gage' (marijuana), and laxatives. He even signed a telegram to President Eisenhower (offering to take ``those little negro children personally into Central High School'') ``Am Swiss Krissly Yours . . .'' Swiss Kriss was the herbal laxative to which Armstrong credited his health. This collection transcends jazz and conventional grammar, revealing the humor and spirit of a legendary entertainer. (29 halftones)