“If anyone was Mr. Jazz, it was Louis Armstrong. He was the epitome of jazz and always will be. It's what I call an American standard, an American original." A tribute from Duke Ellington, American composer and leader of a jazz group, in honor of the deceased musical genius; Louis Armstrong. Considered one of the most influential musical artists in the history of jazz, Armstrong's career spanned five decades spanning several eras of jazz history. Despite his tough upbringing, Armstrong saw small opportunities and shaped them to build a skyrocketing career. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Louis Daniel Armstrong, one of two sons, was born in early August 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana, growing up in a neighborhood so rough and forbidding it was called “The Battlefield.” Armstrong dropped out of school to start working, stopping only at a fifth-grade education. He earned money by doing various menial jobs to help provide for his mother and little sister. Armstrong's first job was working for Jewish immigrants, the Karnofsky family, who lent him money to buy his first cornet, an instrument similar to the trumpet but larger and with a quieter tone. Never forgetting their kindness, Armstrong wore a Star of David throughout his adult life, symbolizing his appreciation for the Jewish family who supported him as a child. Not yet twelve years old, Armstrong fired his stepfather's gun on New Year's Eve, resulting in a serious arrest. The Times-Democrat cited Armstrong's arrest as the "most serious case" that New Year's Eve. Fearing that if young Armstrong went unpunished he would continue to get into trouble, the judge sentenced him to live in the Colored Waif's Home for Boys, a reform school for boys who got into trouble. Knowing the toxicity of the neighborhood where Armstrong grew up, it took some time before he was accepted into the home band. Proving that he knew how to behave well, Armstrong earned his place in the musical group and rose to the top. There, under the guidance of Peter Davis, he learned to play the cornet correctly, eventually becoming the leader of the Maple Leaf Band, the musical group of Colored Waif Home. Armstrong owes the essence of his musical career to his arrest, as he once said: "I think all my success goes back to that moment when I was arrested as a rebellious boy at the age of twelve because then I had to stop racing I went around and started to learn something. Above all, I started to learn music.” Leaving home, Armstrong began to take his passion for music more seriously by playing with different bands. He learned a lot about music from famous musicians like Bunk Johnson and Buddy Petit .His most influential teacher was none other than Joe "King" Oliver who Armstrong considered his mentor. When Armstrong was only fifteen, Joe "King" Oliver had him play with the band of Fate Marble, an American jazz pianist and bandleader. Armstrong later took Oliver's place in Edward 'Kid' Ory's band, a leading New Orleans jazz band. Although Armstrong was saddened by Oliver's departure, he was in awe when he discovered that he had been chosen by Kid Ory to replace him. his mentor. “What a thrill it was! And to think that I was considered worthy of taking Joe Oliver's place in the best band in town! I couldn't wait to get to Mayann's [her mother] house to tell her the good news. Being a member of such a popular band, Armstrong was tested daily by some of the best musicians and knew ofhaving to prove that he deserves a place ahead of his colleagues in Kid's band. Not long after, Armstrong began convincing the jazz community to begin a prosperous musical career. After two years with Kid's band, Armstrong began to consider more challenging career decisions. He left the band and joined Fletcher Henderson's New Orchestra, York's best African-American dance group, the best at that time. Armstrong played with them for just over a year and made numerous recordings under the band name. This transformed the Henderson Orchestra into what is now considered one of the first great jazz bands in history. This was a huge turning point for Armstrong's career and the history of jazz. In that time, Armstrong produced a spectacular amount of recorded work. In light of his strong success, Armstrong signed a contract with Okeh Records, an American record label founded in 1916. There he founded a group, Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five, where he collaborated with the best musicians of New Orleans. The artists occupied different places in this studio group, Kid Ory on trombone, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Johnny St. Cyr on banjo, Lil Harden on piano and later Earl 'Fatha' Hines joined on piano as GOOD. A notable impact on the history of jazz took place on the day Armstrong recorded the song "Heebie Jeebies". He recorded the song the first time exactly the way it was written; feeling it lacked originality, Armstrong re-recorded it. The second time he recorded, he improvised a series of sounds as if he were playing an instrument with his mouth, a method known as scat. Famous jazz musicians, still young at the time, aspired to imitate Armstrong's scat methods. Artists like Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and other artists have grown up and added this method to their music. Decades later, scat is still taking over the jazz world. In light of Armstrong's skyrocketing career, it seemed like nothing could stand in the way of him and his music. Unfortunately, something happened, beyond Armstrong's control. The Great Depression hit. This meant that not many fans could afford to go to clubs, which led to the end of many artists' careers. Trying to make a living, many artists took jobs completely unrelated to music, some becoming taxi drivers and others tailors. Armstrong, on the other hand, was not willing to let go of his music career so easily. A few months after his setback, Armstrong made a drastic career change. He decided it would be best for his music career if he moved away from both New York and Chicago. Eventually he bought a ticket to Los Angeles. Seeking new fans and publicity, Armstrong hired a new manager, Johnny Collins. Collins' guidance helped Armstrong embark on his first tour. Not forgetting his education, Armstrong arrived for a show in New Orleans; he hasn't been there for almost 9 years. Armstrong met Joseph Jones and Peter Davis from home. He was asked if he could make an appearance in the house and Armstrong gladly accepted. “Armstrong took a walk in the dormitory where he once lived. When he found his old bunk, he crawled under the sheets and even fell asleep." Not all of his stops were welcoming, when Armstring and his bandmates boarded a bus, the bus driver refused to accommodate them and they fell victim to US segregation laws. Armstrong was imprisoned along with his band members before being rescued by a stage owner. After the US tour, Collins decided it would be best if Armstrong reached out to his European fans; reveal his music in..