Swing That Music

by Louis Armstrong

Not only biography, but also one of the earliest American attempts to trace the development of jazz."--from the foreword by Dan Morgenstern


The first autobiography of a jazz musician, Louis Armstrong's Swing That Music is a milestone in jazz literature. Armstrong wrote most of the biographical material, which is of a different nature and scope than that of his other, later autobiography, Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans (also published by Da Capo). Satchmo covers in intimate detail Armstrong's life until his 1922 move to Chicago; but Swing That Music also covers his days on Chicago's South Side with "King" Oliver, his courtship and marriage to Lil Hardin, his 1929 move to New York, the formation of his own band, his European tours, and his international success. One of the most earnest justifications ever written for the new style of music then called "swing" but more broadly referred to as "Jazz," Swing That Music is a biography, a history, and an entertainment that really "swings."

Genres: Music, Jazz, History, Nonfiction, Memoir

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1936

About the author

American musician Louis Armstrong, known as Satchmo, a virtuoso trumpeter and popular, gravelly voiced singer, greatly influenced the development of jazz.

Louis Armstrong, nicknamed Pops, a charismatic, innovative performer, improvised soloing, the main fundamental change, shifted focus from the collective to the player. Of the 20th century, he most famously first played cornet player and then reached best toward the end of his career.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_A...

Reviews

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an odd hybrid--part memoir, part musical instruction. If you want to read about Louis Armstrong read his autobiography Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans.

The first part of the book includes Louis' memoirs from New Orleans and beyond. It was written in 1936, when swing music was having its day, so it feels like the editor/publisher tried to steer Louis into somehow relating his life story to the story of swing music. The passages on swing are mostly a distraction from Louis' life and times.

The second section of the book (called the Music Section) includes sheet music that shows how popular swing musicians of the day (Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Claude Hopkins) swung the song "Swing that Music."

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Armstrong’s brief autobiography is also the first American history of jazz, which is called “swing” here, as a nod to the late-30s development based on improvisation that was becoming popular at the time of publication, and to note the difference between the more staid Tin Pan Alley melodies that were jazz-inspired, but not the kind that SWINGS. And it’s a wonderful read, from his early life in New Orleans at a wayward boys home (he was arrested for shooting off a pistol into the air on New Year’s Eve at the age of 12) to his life time playing on riverboats cruising up the Mississippi (connecting this story directly to Twain’s Life on the Mississippi ) to his whirlwind touring in Chicago, New York, and Europe while recording some of the most influential popular music of the twentieth century.

The second part includes musical charts for a new song, “Swing That Music,” with ten different improvisations by ten different musicians of this same song, with a Who’s Who of talent: Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Armstrong, Red Norvo, Bud Freeman, etc. This section includes a rather dated introduction by Horace Gerlach, who discusses how by the late-30s jazz had “grown” and matured from its “barbaric” and “tribal” roots due to the classical influence. Yikes. Yet this section also represents the first real theorization of jazz in English, with the discussion of Armstrong’s rhythmic counterpoint and improvisation. It concludes with a fun glossary of swing terms that shows just how much jazz influenced later music, as many terms still have their same well-known meanings: jam session, licks, sitting in, cats, etc.

A must-read for fans of jazz or twentieth-century music.

[Alonzo Church · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curiosities like this are very hard to rate. Essentially, Louis tells a few anecdotes about growing up, the waifs home where he learned to play trumpet, and his years of playing with Fate Marable on the riverboat. There also some ghostwritten philosophizing on the nature of Swing and playing jazz that is total hooey. His life from Chicago onward is dispatched in a few pages. Also, oddly, are musical scores showing how some jazz stars would solo on Louis’ 1936 number —Swing That Music.

It’s a little disappointing that his time with King Oliver is not discussed more. Oliver was alive (but had lost his teeth) and living in poverty when this book came out and he seriously could have used the love and some support. Sidney Bechet, who would have some clashes with Armstrong late in life, is remembered — but his name is misspelled (Sydney Bachet), and he is referred to in a way that is kind of dismissive.

Worth a look, but unless you are able to get a first edition (like me), I would not spend the money.

[Ceste Stanly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 2nd book that I read that Satchmo wrote. I hadn't realized he had written 2. I read them out of order from the way they were published, but I kinda enjoyed that. His 2nd book focuses on the 1st chunk of his life whereas this book focuses on his entire career & then analyzes swing music a bit. I really enjoyed hearing about his tours in Europe and how he learned to read music and how his style evolved. 2nd half of the book is very analytical & actually has music printed in the back which is super cool

[Victoria & David Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun reminiscence by the man who not only embodied the history of jazz but was there shortly after its birth in New Orleans. Written in 1936 to explain what this thing called 'swing' is all about. The time spent on a Mississippi riverboat and how it connected to Mark Twain was fascinating.