Satchmo: The Louis Armstrong Encyclopedia - Hardcover

Meckna, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0313301379 ISBN 13: 9780313301377

Publisher: Greenwood, 2004

Synopsis

When pressed to name the most influential musician of the 20th century, many music historians will name Louis Satchmo Armstrong. Born in New Orleans in 1901 and recording into the 1970s, Armstrong is known as the father of jazz, the one figure most credited with moving the Western world from the age of classical music and Tin Pan Alley pop standards into an exciting new era of swing and hot jazz. Michael Meckna's book is the authoritative reference on Armstrong. Alphabetically arranged entries give detailed information on the many aspects of Armstrong's life and music. An appendix of CD releases includes entries that detail the record company, date of issue, song list, and performer list. Other appendices include a chronology, a list of movies, and a resource guide to Satchmo on the Web; a bibliography offers yet another useful tool for fans and students of Armstrong's life and music. A selection of historic black-and-white photos completes the volume.

About this title

About the Author

MICHAEL MECKNA is Professor of Music History at Texas Christian University. He is also the author of Twentieth-Century Brass Soloists (Greenwood, 1994).

Reviews

This encyclopedia is a comprehensive compendium of the life and work of one of the most influential and pervasive jazz entertainers of the twentieth century. Meckna, professor of music history at Texas Christian University, has compiled the only reference source focused solely on the legendary jazz trumpeter. Biographies on Armstrong abound, but Satchmo should become the premier quick-access source for information on his style, legacy, critical reception, films, writings, and recordings.

The encyclopedia is very user-friendly yet exhaustive and detailed. Entries are alphabetical, and most are a short paragraph in length, with a few stretching to a half page long. Cross-references are plentiful, and black-and-white photos are interspersed throughout the text. A short preface summarizes Armstrong's life, while four appendixes usefully complement the A-Z entries. One appendix is an exhaustive chronology with detailed paragraph summaries of nearly every year of Armstrong's life. Even posthumous recognition is covered, like the 2001 dedication of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, the first to be named after a musician. Other appendixes list his recordings on compact disc, movies in which he appeared, and the best Web sites for Armstrong research. The appendixes are followed by a 10-page selected bibliography listing books, journal articles, and sources intended for a juvenile audience as well as more arcane sources like transcribed trumpet solos.

The level of detail in this volume is impressive--and often amusing and entertaining as well. The entry on "When the Saints Go Marching In" informs the reader that the song was formerly a spiritual mainly played at funerals. When his sister objected to Armstrong's sacrilegious jazzy version, he pointed out that she, after all, played bingo in church. Such was his popularity that he often received mail addressed no more specifically than "'Ole Satchmo' Himself/Where ever he is." We even learn that "Satchmo" is derived from "Satchelmouth." Other entries cover theaters in which Armstrong played, musicians with whom he associated, and, of course, his songs and recordings. Overall, this is an excellent resource for academic and large public libraries. Michael Tosko
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Greenwood
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0313301379
• ISBN 13: 9780313301377
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 448