Louis Armstrong, Master of Modernism

By: Thomas Brothers

Narrated by: Andy Caploe

The definitive account of Louis Armstrong - his life and legacy - during the most creative period of his career. 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 20th 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. 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, Brothers illuminates the life and work of the man many consider to be the greatest American musician of the 20th century.

©2014 Thomas Brothers (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

American Hero

Louis influenced every vocalist and soloist...he is the father of all us musicians! His style and flash still sounds modern today!

Does not include the Referenced musical examples

Extremely thorough. Well written. The text refers to an accompanying CD with musical references to the text. The musical examples were provided. The audiobook should be interspersed with the musical examples. If it were five stars would be appropriate. Whenever the author talked about a certain song I needed to go to Amazon music to find the song and listen to it.

Should get college credits...

...for completing this book. Very detailed in Louis’ music as well as the social world of the time. All tunes/videos the author referenced are available on iTunes & YouTube &, if listen to them before &/or after the author analyzes them, LOTS of insight can be gained. I had a course at Berklee just like this except the subject was Miles Davis.
If you’re a musician or an avid listener this book has lots to offer in understanding the evolution of music improvisation. Highly recommend.

"Vernacular"

EmPHAsis on the wrong sylLAble (Austin Powers reference)
Not the fault of reader: overuse of the word "vernacular" Honestly, this could be used as a drinking game, if drinkimg games lasted this.many.hours.
Not a fan of the reader: EmPHAsis on the Wrong Parts while reading quotes of others. These should have been noticed and re-recorded

Very in-depth look at Armstrong's crucial years.

The best thing about this was how it tied everything together. Armstrong's evolution was as much a part of the times as anything. This book really put things into the proper perspective of music, politics, race, etc. For some people, there may be a bit too much technical discussion of the music, though I never felt it became a theory lesson. My biggest disappointment was that they couldn't have included soundclips instead of referencing time markings on CDs. I doubt that was an option as the recordings are still copyright protected in the US. Still, a fascinating listening energetically read.