Ch. 05: Louis Armstrong

The singular monumental figure of the early modern jazz era, and perhaps of the first 50 years of 20th century American popular music was Louis Armstrong. He has been described as “America’s Bach” – a recognition of his singular position in American music. (J.S. Bach was the classical composer who provided the highest pinnacle of compositional technique of the Baroque era and has been revered by composers, performers, and audiences of classical music for the past 250 years.) Armstrong is as important to American jazz and popular music as Bach was to classical music.