What do you think?
Rate this book
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong, Master of Modernism
Finalist for the 2015 Pulitzer Prize in Biography."Profoundly evocative and altogether admirable…The writing and detail are so brilliant that I found the volume revelatory." —Tim Page, Washington Post
Nearly 100 years after bursting onto Chicago’s music scene under the tutelage of Joe "King" Oliver, Louis Armstrong is recognized as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. A trumpet virtuoso, seductive crooner, and consummate entertainer, Armstrong laid the foundation for the future of jazz with his stylistic innovations, but his story would be incomplete without examining how he struggled in a society seething with brutally racist ideologies, laws, and practices.Thomas Brothers picks up where he left off with the acclaimed Louis Armstrong's New Orleans, following the story of the great jazz musician into his most creatively fertile years in the 1920s and early 1930s, when Armstrong created not one but two modern musical styles. Brothers wields his own tremendous skill in making the connections between history and music accessible to everyone as Armstrong shucks and jives across the page. Through Brothers's expert ears and eyes we meet an Armstrong whose quickness and sureness, so evident in his performances, served him well in his encounters with racism while his music soared across the airwaves into homes all over America.
Louis Armstrong, Master of Modernism blends cultural history, musical scholarship, and personal accounts from Armstrong's contemporaries to reveal his enduring contributions to jazz and popular music at a time when he and his bandmates couldn’t count on food or even a friendly face on their travels across the country. Thomas Brothers combines an intimate knowledge of Armstrong's life with the boldness to examine his place in such a racially charged landscape. In vivid prose and with vibrant photographs, Brothers illuminates the life and work of the man many consider to be the greatest American musician of the twentieth century.
Nearly 100 years after bursting onto Chicago’s music scene under the tutelage of Joe "King" Oliver, Louis Armstrong is recognized as one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. A trumpet virtuoso, seductive crooner, and consummate entertainer, Armstrong laid the foundation for the future of jazz with his stylistic innovations, but his story would be incomplete without examining how he struggled in a society seething with brutally racist ideologies, laws, and practices.Thomas Brothers picks up where he left off with the acclaimed Louis Armstrong's New Orleans, following the story of the great jazz musician into his most creatively fertile years in the 1920s and early 1930s, when Armstrong created not one but two modern musical styles. Brothers wields his own tremendous skill in making the connections between history and music accessible to everyone as Armstrong shucks and jives across the page. Through Brothers's expert ears and eyes we meet an Armstrong whose quickness and sureness, so evident in his performances, served him well in his encounters with racism while his music soared across the airwaves into homes all over America.
Louis Armstrong, Master of Modernism blends cultural history, musical scholarship, and personal accounts from Armstrong's contemporaries to reveal his enduring contributions to jazz and popular music at a time when he and his bandmates couldn’t count on food or even a friendly face on their travels across the country. Thomas Brothers combines an intimate knowledge of Armstrong's life with the boldness to examine his place in such a racially charged landscape. In vivid prose and with vibrant photographs, Brothers illuminates the life and work of the man many consider to be the greatest American musician of the twentieth century.
609 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 3, 2014
25 people are currently reading
431 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 20, 2024
When I wrote by review on Edmund Morris' book Edison, I started the review with:
"There are certain conventions and norms that one expects when writing a biography. The biography is either going to be written chronologically or (less frequently) thematically. Those are the approaches that people know and are familiar. To do it any other way requires a skilled writer and a supportive editor/publisher." https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Thomas Brothers' book on Armstrong comes with the same preamble. Brothers' was either a genius or a madman for his biographical approach.
If you are looking for a traditional approach to a biography on Armstrong, you will be disappointed. This book does not trace his life chronologically or thematically, but rather musicalility (is that even a word?).
While much of the book is presented chronologically, his life events are not what holds this book together. Instead, the theme of the book centers around his musical style, influences, and how he was influenced by others.
For many, this creates a challenge as only those sophisticated enough with musical theory and jazz might be able to follow the narrative.
To be honest, there were large sections of the book that I did not understand.
The music/theory went over my head.
That being said, while I might not have understood the nuiances of the book, I found myself appreciating the complexities of Armstrong's musical heritage.
I read this book as part of the Non-Fiction Pulitzer Book Club's January-February 2024 group read. In that discussion, I described it as "not a typical biography... [but] more of an evolution of Armstrong's musical style through time."
Too that end I learned a lot.
Why "jazz" was more a "white" term to describe the music than "rag time"? Why rag time musicians didn't want to learn how to write music, but prefered spotenatity? Why Armstron recorded the same songs up to 70 different times---each with a difference? Why listening to the music was best in a dance hall. Second best on a recording and the worst way was in a concert hall/restaurant setting.
About the different venues wherein Armstron performed --- white vs black and how he approached both. About how the keys to succeed were:
1) Create music that was authentically black in nature,
2) Be a superior showman, and
3) Figure out a way to invite the white audience into the black narrative.
If I had a stronger musical foundation, this book might have been a 5 star review. As it is, much of the book went over my head. But still I learned a lot.
"There are certain conventions and norms that one expects when writing a biography. The biography is either going to be written chronologically or (less frequently) thematically. Those are the approaches that people know and are familiar. To do it any other way requires a skilled writer and a supportive editor/publisher." https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Thomas Brothers' book on Armstrong comes with the same preamble. Brothers' was either a genius or a madman for his biographical approach.
If you are looking for a traditional approach to a biography on Armstrong, you will be disappointed. This book does not trace his life chronologically or thematically, but rather musicalility (is that even a word?).
While much of the book is presented chronologically, his life events are not what holds this book together. Instead, the theme of the book centers around his musical style, influences, and how he was influenced by others.
For many, this creates a challenge as only those sophisticated enough with musical theory and jazz might be able to follow the narrative.
To be honest, there were large sections of the book that I did not understand.
The music/theory went over my head.
That being said, while I might not have understood the nuiances of the book, I found myself appreciating the complexities of Armstrong's musical heritage.
I read this book as part of the Non-Fiction Pulitzer Book Club's January-February 2024 group read. In that discussion, I described it as "not a typical biography... [but] more of an evolution of Armstrong's musical style through time."
Too that end I learned a lot.
Why "jazz" was more a "white" term to describe the music than "rag time"? Why rag time musicians didn't want to learn how to write music, but prefered spotenatity? Why Armstron recorded the same songs up to 70 different times---each with a difference? Why listening to the music was best in a dance hall. Second best on a recording and the worst way was in a concert hall/restaurant setting.
About the different venues wherein Armstron performed --- white vs black and how he approached both. About how the keys to succeed were:
1) Create music that was authentically black in nature,
2) Be a superior showman, and
3) Figure out a way to invite the white audience into the black narrative.
If I had a stronger musical foundation, this book might have been a 5 star review. As it is, much of the book went over my head. But still I learned a lot.
April 11, 2014
From BBC Radio 4 - Book of the Week:
Account of the life and legacy of the influential musical artist.
Account of the life and legacy of the influential musical artist.
February 22, 2024
Satchmo, the esteemed Louis Armstrong, is indeed a master of modern jazz music. Who doesn't know the great songs "What a Wonderful World" or "Hello Dolly?" This Pulitzer Prize-winning book on Armstrong is less a biography and more of a dance through his contribution to jazz. Thomas Brothers focuses on Armstrong's career during the 1920s and early 30s after he left New Orleans and arrived in Chicago, where he dominated the live music scene. Brothers concentrate on the "black vernacular," which utilizes call and response elements, improvisation, syncopation, layered rhythms, and bending pitches, introducing them to not just the African American clientele of the local music clubs but the white crowds as well. Throughout the book, Brothers weaves in elements of Armstrong's life, including his marriage to Lillian Hardin and Alpha Smith, his work with bands and musicians, particularly with The Hot Five, who played throughout Chicago and New York, a short film career in Hollywood, and his love of marijuana that landed him in jail for a spell.
For all that Brothers details in this book, the story will fall flat for many readers. This book is heavy on music theory and music composition. If you are a lover of jazz and, more particularly, a scholar of music concentrating on the genre, this book will earn high marks for you. For the layperson, this book may be too in the weeds. Brothers heavily uses music terms that most people will not have heard or understand, and he does not spend time explaining. The author also refers to specific pieces of music that come from an obscure discography located at the back of the book. There would have to be some cross-referencing to figure out which version of a song he's referring to, and then...hope you can find that specific version. Likely, you won't find any of them streaming; I could not. I did listen to several songs as I read and somewhat understood the concepts, but ultimately, I glossed over these references, which is a great part of the book. Instead, I enjoyed looking at the pictures and reading about some of his antics. I do enjoy jazz and appreciate this "behind the scenes" look at the genre. These men and women of the Jazz Age utilized music to tell stories and carry on African American history with feeling.
For all that Brothers details in this book, the story will fall flat for many readers. This book is heavy on music theory and music composition. If you are a lover of jazz and, more particularly, a scholar of music concentrating on the genre, this book will earn high marks for you. For the layperson, this book may be too in the weeds. Brothers heavily uses music terms that most people will not have heard or understand, and he does not spend time explaining. The author also refers to specific pieces of music that come from an obscure discography located at the back of the book. There would have to be some cross-referencing to figure out which version of a song he's referring to, and then...hope you can find that specific version. Likely, you won't find any of them streaming; I could not. I did listen to several songs as I read and somewhat understood the concepts, but ultimately, I glossed over these references, which is a great part of the book. Instead, I enjoyed looking at the pictures and reading about some of his antics. I do enjoy jazz and appreciate this "behind the scenes" look at the genre. These men and women of the Jazz Age utilized music to tell stories and carry on African American history with feeling.
March 19, 2014
After 138 pages, not only have I given this book a fair shake, I've come to one inescapable conclusion: This is intended for either readers who know a whole lot about music or readers who want to learn a whole lot about music. I, unfortunately, am neither, falling somewhere in between, wanting to know more about Louis Armstrong the man and musician than this book ever hints at.
Author Thomas Brothers is a professor of music at Duke University and (I assume) his observations regarding music history, technique and evolution are perfectly valid and accurate. Unfortunately, his chronicle of Armstrong during the decade between 1920 and 1930 reads as though it was written by a teacher. This may make a great textbook of sorts, but Brothers' style is much too pedantic for the average reader who may be more interested in Armstrong's musical heroes, his inspiration, his motivation, his thoughts about the racial climate of the times, his interests outside of music and so forth. As it is, this reads like a lecture with little drama and even less tension.
Of what I did read, it included only a smattering of quotes by Armstrong himself. Surely, there must've been more material to enliven the storyline than is included here. Thank god for the occasional photograph of the man in his youth.
Perhaps the reading gets livelier starting at page 139; I'll never know. The fact that I won this in a Goodreads giveaway is at least some consolation.
Author Thomas Brothers is a professor of music at Duke University and (I assume) his observations regarding music history, technique and evolution are perfectly valid and accurate. Unfortunately, his chronicle of Armstrong during the decade between 1920 and 1930 reads as though it was written by a teacher. This may make a great textbook of sorts, but Brothers' style is much too pedantic for the average reader who may be more interested in Armstrong's musical heroes, his inspiration, his motivation, his thoughts about the racial climate of the times, his interests outside of music and so forth. As it is, this reads like a lecture with little drama and even less tension.
Of what I did read, it included only a smattering of quotes by Armstrong himself. Surely, there must've been more material to enliven the storyline than is included here. Thank god for the occasional photograph of the man in his youth.
Perhaps the reading gets livelier starting at page 139; I'll never know. The fact that I won this in a Goodreads giveaway is at least some consolation.
October 2, 2024
This biography of Louis Armstrong is about the decade starting in the 1920’s when it was the most creative period for Armstrong. It explores a history of the birth of Jazz in New Orleans and the factors that made New Orleans the ideal place for the evolution of Jazz. It describes how influential jazz musicians were created like Kansas City’s Charlie Parker and other jazz greats. We learn about the development of African American culture and how it was influenced by jazz.
Brothers, a professor of music at Duke University, references recordings. Giving the time in seconds where examples are played. He gives a detailed thorough and scholarly study of the development of Armstrong’s musical abilities. The depth of his influence on Western popular music and his influence on Jazz can be comprehended.
This biography is comprehensive and told in musicology that can get a bit bogged down. His inclusion of the racial and cultural climate of the 1920’s is critical to the cultural climate of the 1920’s. It is supported by discography and bibliography. It is an interesting biography about the formative years of Armstrong’s life and his growth into a master of jazz.
Brothers, a professor of music at Duke University, references recordings. Giving the time in seconds where examples are played. He gives a detailed thorough and scholarly study of the development of Armstrong’s musical abilities. The depth of his influence on Western popular music and his influence on Jazz can be comprehended.
This biography is comprehensive and told in musicology that can get a bit bogged down. His inclusion of the racial and cultural climate of the 1920’s is critical to the cultural climate of the 1920’s. It is supported by discography and bibliography. It is an interesting biography about the formative years of Armstrong’s life and his growth into a master of jazz.
June 23, 2014
Pretty much a slog. Every time the book builds up some momentum with a good feel for the time and place of Armstrong's life and work, it bogs down into the author's insistence that we all marvel at how brilliant his (the author's) musical theories about the roots of Armstrong's music is.
Unless you are super into musical theory, Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life was a far superior and much more readable book.
Unless you are super into musical theory, Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life was a far superior and much more readable book.
December 30, 2024
I never get tired of reading about (or listening to) Louis Armstrong. This book on the subject just might be my favorite (although the Gary Giddins bio is hard to beat). Brothers does what I am always happy to find - intense analysis of the music itself with strong connections to cultural and biographical details of the time. He also does a fantastic job of making us aware of race and racism, along with different conceptions of these realities by the people affected.
Louis Armstrong was an African-American who became a musical hero to other African-Americans before aiming his efforts at winning over the white audience. He didn't lose the musical approaches which came from the black community - Brothers speaks of the fixed and variable approach to making music, a specifically African conception which basically means some element of the performance is entirely predictable and regular while other elements change. But he also says Armstrong switched from this approach - the one he used on all those fantastic Hot Five and Hot Seven records - to another African-American method, ragging the tune. All those records he did in the 30s of popular tunes used this approach, which relied on prior knowledge of the song played and sung straight so that all his singing and playing could mess around with it. (Of course, this book only covers 1923 - 1932, so only the last chapter or two cover this style.)
Brothers wrote a prior book on Armstrong's first two decades, which is probably fascinating, especially since there are no recordings to discuss from that time. I wonder if he plans to follow up on what Armstrong did after establishing himself as possibly the biggest selling recording artist of the early 30s. He does a strong job discussing Armstrong's concessions to racist imagery when he got to make short films in Hollywood - the music is as brilliant as ever, but the visuals are disgusting. That was the only way he or virtually any black person could work in films at that time. I'd like to see him follow this thread through the coming decades, not to mention discuss his switching in the late 40s to a return to the New Orleans collective improvisation style of music.
For now though, this book makes me appreciate Armstrong's genius even more, and makes me realize what he had to negotiate in order to make his constant drive to create work within the options he had open to him.
One question, though - Brothers is careful to point out that most of Armstrong's recorded trumpet solos and vocals were worked out in advance, generally through repetition onstage before going to the studio. But Brothers also refers often to occasions when Armstrong would play 40 choruses of a tune - he uses 40 in this regard the same way the Bible does, I think. Did he work out multiple choruses that could not be recorded, or did he play the same ones multiple times, or did he actually improvise his way through the tunes?
Louis Armstrong was an African-American who became a musical hero to other African-Americans before aiming his efforts at winning over the white audience. He didn't lose the musical approaches which came from the black community - Brothers speaks of the fixed and variable approach to making music, a specifically African conception which basically means some element of the performance is entirely predictable and regular while other elements change. But he also says Armstrong switched from this approach - the one he used on all those fantastic Hot Five and Hot Seven records - to another African-American method, ragging the tune. All those records he did in the 30s of popular tunes used this approach, which relied on prior knowledge of the song played and sung straight so that all his singing and playing could mess around with it. (Of course, this book only covers 1923 - 1932, so only the last chapter or two cover this style.)
Brothers wrote a prior book on Armstrong's first two decades, which is probably fascinating, especially since there are no recordings to discuss from that time. I wonder if he plans to follow up on what Armstrong did after establishing himself as possibly the biggest selling recording artist of the early 30s. He does a strong job discussing Armstrong's concessions to racist imagery when he got to make short films in Hollywood - the music is as brilliant as ever, but the visuals are disgusting. That was the only way he or virtually any black person could work in films at that time. I'd like to see him follow this thread through the coming decades, not to mention discuss his switching in the late 40s to a return to the New Orleans collective improvisation style of music.
For now though, this book makes me appreciate Armstrong's genius even more, and makes me realize what he had to negotiate in order to make his constant drive to create work within the options he had open to him.
One question, though - Brothers is careful to point out that most of Armstrong's recorded trumpet solos and vocals were worked out in advance, generally through repetition onstage before going to the studio. But Brothers also refers often to occasions when Armstrong would play 40 choruses of a tune - he uses 40 in this regard the same way the Bible does, I think. Did he work out multiple choruses that could not be recorded, or did he play the same ones multiple times, or did he actually improvise his way through the tunes?
August 15, 2014
Awesome. Also listen to the music :) Love it!
BBC - book of the week; starts April 07
BBC - book of the week; starts April 07
January 12, 2024
I did enjoy this book and found it very well written and interesting, although I didn't understand a significant portion of it. I don't know that much about music beyond whether or not I like a certain piece. I did not know anything about the Armstrong's massive influence on the development of music, as influential in my parent's youth as the Beatles were in mine.
So, if the book is so well done, so interesting, so educational, why 2 stars? I listened to the audio book, but I checked the print book to see if my criticism was true for all formats and found it is. Much of this book is dedicated to defining changes to music patterns using particular recordings of pieces and even the location of a particular pattern within a specific recording. While there is a discography that audio book listeners cannot access, one could go to YouTube to listen to the entirety of various pieces. BUT, to reach the portion of a particular pattern referred to in the text, one would need to access the specific CD to listen at the time placement of that pattern. Although providing the full recording of each piece may violate copyright, providing the recording within a piece of the few seconds of the pattern is not. The author could have included a disc with those portions, but did not. I see that as a serious omission, limiting the ability of the reader to understand the pattern to which they refer. So, two stars. With the inclusion of the portions, I'd have given it 4 stars.
NOW, there is a possibility the print book provides a website where these portions of these recording showing the patterns are available, but I could not find one.
So, if the book is so well done, so interesting, so educational, why 2 stars? I listened to the audio book, but I checked the print book to see if my criticism was true for all formats and found it is. Much of this book is dedicated to defining changes to music patterns using particular recordings of pieces and even the location of a particular pattern within a specific recording. While there is a discography that audio book listeners cannot access, one could go to YouTube to listen to the entirety of various pieces. BUT, to reach the portion of a particular pattern referred to in the text, one would need to access the specific CD to listen at the time placement of that pattern. Although providing the full recording of each piece may violate copyright, providing the recording within a piece of the few seconds of the pattern is not. The author could have included a disc with those portions, but did not. I see that as a serious omission, limiting the ability of the reader to understand the pattern to which they refer. So, two stars. With the inclusion of the portions, I'd have given it 4 stars.
NOW, there is a possibility the print book provides a website where these portions of these recording showing the patterns are available, but I could not find one.
March 18, 2019
Thomas Brothers has done a most amazing thing. Somehow he figured out a way to combine an accessible, masterful, and well researched biography of old Pops himself with a just-as-masterful, scholarly analysis and breakdown of Louis Armstrong's music, which I had never seen done before.
Because of the wide range of his artistic talent and just the size his persona in the popular consciousness of America and the world, it's easy to take Armstrong for granted in terms of the actual technical aspects of what he brought to music in general and Jazz in particular.
This was not only an enjoyable read that made me feel like I got insights into Armstrong as a person, but was also an education into the specifics of the evolution of the composition and performance in this region of music.
Building off of from the late 19th & early 20th century's seminal New Orleans cornet player Buddy Bolden's (and others)innovation of the shuffle on the 2 & 3rd beats in a measure that would gestate the "swing" that Louis would deliver from the womb as it were - to the ongoing, and oft ignored further innovations that Armstrong worked on including composition, tone, and the playing of the trumpet as an instrument.
Brothers weaves a rich educational tapestry into what as he is careful to distinguish and define, should more precisely be considered the evolution and integration of a West African musical heritage into the New World in the years surrounding the Civil War in America.
Brilliant all the way around. Well done.
Because of the wide range of his artistic talent and just the size his persona in the popular consciousness of America and the world, it's easy to take Armstrong for granted in terms of the actual technical aspects of what he brought to music in general and Jazz in particular.
This was not only an enjoyable read that made me feel like I got insights into Armstrong as a person, but was also an education into the specifics of the evolution of the composition and performance in this region of music.
Building off of from the late 19th & early 20th century's seminal New Orleans cornet player Buddy Bolden's (and others)innovation of the shuffle on the 2 & 3rd beats in a measure that would gestate the "swing" that Louis would deliver from the womb as it were - to the ongoing, and oft ignored further innovations that Armstrong worked on including composition, tone, and the playing of the trumpet as an instrument.
Brothers weaves a rich educational tapestry into what as he is careful to distinguish and define, should more precisely be considered the evolution and integration of a West African musical heritage into the New World in the years surrounding the Civil War in America.
Brilliant all the way around. Well done.
December 19, 2022
I did not have the recordings that accompany this book, and those would have made this more understandable and enjoyable. It’s amazing to see his expert talent and to learn more about his musical abilities and experiences.
October 4, 2015
This book does a great job of covering Louis Armstrong's time in Chicago, which was pivotal to the artist and cultural icon he grew into. The author cites recordings and gigs throughout Armstrong's career in the 20s and 30s mostly. He really gets into the details of Armstrong's playing and writing style, which I appreciated. It gave me an appreciation for how influential Armstrong really was as a musician and artist, something I wasn't altogether clear about before reading this book. While much of the book is scholarly in its detail and could be a little tiring at times to read through, the author shines when commenting on Armstrong's personal life and his place in American culture, black and white. He does a great job of tying all these different aspects of the man/icon together and letting the reader take away what they want from the book.
September 30, 2017
Armstrong was probably the most influential jazz musician of the 20th century. Enjoyed the audible version of this book. Couldn’t help but think that it would have been improved greatly if audible had included the music Brothers talked about. Unfortunate that Brothers cut things off largely at the end of the thirties.
Armstrong continued to have a highly successful carrier for the next thirty years as well. He dethroned the Beatles from the top of the charts as well as becoming the oldest person to have a number one hit with “Hello Dolly”. Frequently criticized for being Uncle Tomish, during the fifties he canceled a State Department good will tour to the Soviet Union because “The way they’re treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell.”
Armstrong continued to have a highly successful carrier for the next thirty years as well. He dethroned the Beatles from the top of the charts as well as becoming the oldest person to have a number one hit with “Hello Dolly”. Frequently criticized for being Uncle Tomish, during the fifties he canceled a State Department good will tour to the Soviet Union because “The way they’re treating my people in the South, the government can go to hell.”
March 9, 2018
I am not a professional musician, but I took classes in University so it helped with a lot of the terminology. It is difficult to describe music on paper. There are references throughout to specific records along with time indications so you can hear for yourself. This book is cultural history, biography, music school, and so much more. I appreciate the author's discussion of Louis Armstrong and Civil Rights. I've always thought it easier for the young to take on grand things, for those older have mortgages to pay. I agree with the author that Louis Armstrong likely wasn't a subversive in the racist portraits he often had to do in the movies, and in the wider culture. I think he, like so many, had to make peace with making his living in a world dominated by a racist culture.
April 4, 2014
This book brings alive Chicago in the 1920s. It is exhaustively researched but Tom Brothers brings all those facts together to make some original conclusions about Armstrong, pop culture and the meaning of race in history of American music. This isn't a biography but a piece of cultural history with Armstrong at the epicenter. You have to listen to the music as you read to really appreciate Armstrong's genius. Knowledge of theory helps, but I know very little and I was still able to appreciate this book. I plan to read Brothers' first book about Armstrong's early years in New Orleans.
December 30, 2014
More music theory than a non-music player like me could comprehend at times but the long windy road that Armstrong's career took as he pioneered a genre was very insightful. The struggles with racism and drugs that made his style was very moving. The battle of breaking down barriers while battling against the stereo type of being an Uncle Tom showed the strange times he lived in. Beautiful music the will stand the test of time was the result.
June 29, 2014
Renee Prewitt My parents were Armstrong fans and I was always curious about the man so many people both loved and despised because of his historic mannerisms. This book tells a story of a man who adopted a strong sense of self despite crippling racism. He didn't find himself, he created himself and surpassed everyone's expectations! I loved it!
December 18, 2016
Who knew there were so many wonderful technical terms about jazz! Brothers, a scholar on the subject if ever there was one, is also a fine, lively writer and this engaging study of Satchmo's early years was a small, unexpected pleasure. If you love jazz or what to learn about how Armstrong became an artist, this is a fine place to start.
December 19, 2016
I feel like I know more about music and jazz than most non-musicians. But this was a pretty technical/detailed evaluation of Armstrong's music. I'm sure Jazz musicians etc. would love this but I really wanted to know more about the man.
(N.B. - I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book. 3 = Very good; 4 = Outstanding; 5 = All time favorites.)
(N.B. - I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book. 3 = Very good; 4 = Outstanding; 5 = All time favorites.)
January 23, 2018
This was a very good and enlightening musician biography. I like the music cues for select CDs to go and hear what is being written about. This has a nice balance: career biography and the necessary social biography as this innovator moved through a changing and even dangerous racial landscape. There is a nice seasoning of musicological analysis.
July 22, 2025
Absolutely fantastic book for anyone who loves jazz in a serious way. I had read his previous book on Louis Armstrong's life in New Orleans, and a few years later I read this book.
The book is probably not written for what you would consider a generalist jazz audience, the author is of course a professor in musicology and presents the information in the book robustly and with all of the detail that you would want to know if you wanted to understand everything about Armstrong's musical style in a very professional capacity. I say this as someone who has a PhD in music theory and also plays the trumpet.
If you grew up playing jazz, and had the great Fortune to have wonderful educators, a lot of the time they will have told you these sort of anecdotes about how the music came to be. you are really expected to sort of trust this oral history, knowing that hearing about the history of this music through people who play it is part of the tradition. What is wonderful about this book is that all of those claims about anecdotes and stories over the years end up becoming rooted in something well researched and well argued in this text.
I very much appreciate the author's ability to take first-hand material about things that were said by players such as Armstrong or Oliver and then translate why what is being said into a meaningful context and also use that to help illuminate a better understanding of some of the improvised solos and recordings of Armstrong.
There's also a lot of really good information about the cultural and racial dynamics of the early 20th century in the United States that helps the reader understand the musical world that Armstrong was navigating.
Reading this book you will also learn a lot of very fun slang that was used at the time from everything from different words for marijuana, women, antiquated quasi derogatory names for white and black people that is fun to throw around at parties or your next jam session.
I also really appreciate that the author took time to explain the connection of many of the titles of the hot, five and seven recordings. so you know what these strange titles are referring to and how pressures from the recording company ended up influencing what ended up getting recorded and how.
I would 100% recommend this book for anyone who knows someone in their life. who absolutely loves jazz in a way that is almost insufferable to people around them. I put myself in this class knowing when to shut up about it in front of my friends, but after having read this book, I feel even more prepared to dive into the nitty gritty of talking about jazz history.
The book is probably not written for what you would consider a generalist jazz audience, the author is of course a professor in musicology and presents the information in the book robustly and with all of the detail that you would want to know if you wanted to understand everything about Armstrong's musical style in a very professional capacity. I say this as someone who has a PhD in music theory and also plays the trumpet.
If you grew up playing jazz, and had the great Fortune to have wonderful educators, a lot of the time they will have told you these sort of anecdotes about how the music came to be. you are really expected to sort of trust this oral history, knowing that hearing about the history of this music through people who play it is part of the tradition. What is wonderful about this book is that all of those claims about anecdotes and stories over the years end up becoming rooted in something well researched and well argued in this text.
I very much appreciate the author's ability to take first-hand material about things that were said by players such as Armstrong or Oliver and then translate why what is being said into a meaningful context and also use that to help illuminate a better understanding of some of the improvised solos and recordings of Armstrong.
There's also a lot of really good information about the cultural and racial dynamics of the early 20th century in the United States that helps the reader understand the musical world that Armstrong was navigating.
Reading this book you will also learn a lot of very fun slang that was used at the time from everything from different words for marijuana, women, antiquated quasi derogatory names for white and black people that is fun to throw around at parties or your next jam session.
I also really appreciate that the author took time to explain the connection of many of the titles of the hot, five and seven recordings. so you know what these strange titles are referring to and how pressures from the recording company ended up influencing what ended up getting recorded and how.
I would 100% recommend this book for anyone who knows someone in their life. who absolutely loves jazz in a way that is almost insufferable to people around them. I put myself in this class knowing when to shut up about it in front of my friends, but after having read this book, I feel even more prepared to dive into the nitty gritty of talking about jazz history.
January 21, 2023
In Louis Armstrong, Master of Modernism, Thomas Brothers makes a compelling argument while documenting the first part of Armstrong’s career. Those of us who grew up knowing Armstrong for What A Wonderful World and Hello Dolly as well as his many TV and Movie appearances may find it confusing that he is so widely credited as the central figure in the development of Jazz. Brothers sketches Armstrong's early life and the culture he came from. Brothers shows that as Armstrong began his career, he was playing from uniquely deep southern African American influences. As a result, his music was different and influential in a way no one else’s has been.
As the book progresses, Brothers refers to specific tracks and moments in solos. He does more than simply tell the story of Armstrong. He tells the story of his world, the musicians he played with, competed with, and influenced as well as the racist culture of the United States which Armstrong overcame. From note by note analysis to how white Americans came to accept and seek out his music, Brothers covers the rise of Louis Armstrong.
If you are a musician, you'll appreciate the details. If not, the story is compelling. Any fan of Jazz, musician or not, student of African or African American culture, will find a wealth of insight. Brothers really brings the 20s to life. Very good book!
As the book progresses, Brothers refers to specific tracks and moments in solos. He does more than simply tell the story of Armstrong. He tells the story of his world, the musicians he played with, competed with, and influenced as well as the racist culture of the United States which Armstrong overcame. From note by note analysis to how white Americans came to accept and seek out his music, Brothers covers the rise of Louis Armstrong.
If you are a musician, you'll appreciate the details. If not, the story is compelling. Any fan of Jazz, musician or not, student of African or African American culture, will find a wealth of insight. Brothers really brings the 20s to life. Very good book!
September 5, 2020
I just wanted to find out about Louis Armstrong's life. If that's what you want too, this isn't the book for you. The big problem with the book is that it really is about music theory and how Louis Armstrong has affected Jazz from that standpoint more than anything else. Yes, there are some historical bits about him as well, but they feel more like an afterthought. The main thrust of the book is for the author to go ga-ga over Louis musicianship. So if you don't want to hear someone go on and on about the ins and outs of musical structure and theory, then give this one a pass. Otherwise, maybe you'll dig it. I sure didn't.
July 20, 2019
A lot of musical technique that was outside of comprehension but still a great read. I loved the history of music tied in with the history of race in America. Got me listening to some of Armstrongs less-know work and really enjoying them.
April 14, 2020
I would have given the book five stars but I felt the comment made about Bix Beiderbecke's personal life was an unnecessary addition.
July 22, 2020
It's more of a 3.5 rating, if those star ratings were possible. In terms of writing about the music it's excellent. But for the man and his times this is where the book falls very very short. Thomas Brothers acknowledges that racism was something Louis Armstrong faced everyday, but there is so little of it after this important fact. Thomas acknowledges overt and casual racism with the unspoken inference that none of that exists any more for Black people, famous or otherwise. Indeed, Thomas's own persistent mention of West Africa for influence on Blues and Jazz without saying where is in its own tone deaf. Even if he doesn't know where he could have prefaced his remarks as such. He has in places repeated himself word for word, so the continued prefaced remarks wouldn't be an issue of tedious repetition. Especially for the continued reference of the word "primitive" could have been prefaced as a so-calked desirable quality of white audiences. While highlighting that white people treated Louis Armstrong as "simple", "primitive" and unintelligent, Thomas almost goes to the extreme the other way. It smacks of saying as if these were rare qualities in a Black person, regardless of social and economic backgrounds. The overusage of what the author believed Armstrong or anyone else did was rather patronising. But then again Thomas's silence on the sexual fetishing of Black people by white people is loud. Instead he shrugs it off by calling it white audience appreciation and integration. He did briefly touch on the stereotype of Black men's sexuality and white women, he barely touched on the reverse or white men sexualising Black women. Instead he oddly singles out Bix Bederbeck as having "shadowy sexual deviance.
The book was engaging to read and the flow for the most part smooth. The above criticisms detract heavily from what would have been an excellent book.
The book was engaging to read and the flow for the most part smooth. The above criticisms detract heavily from what would have been an excellent book.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews