Page 47 - Mediterraneo e dintorni - nr 13

LoUiS arMStroNG among the 500 songs that led to the bir-
tHe SoUL oF jaZZ th of Rock and Roll.
He was brilliant not only for the timbre
uch more than a symbol: he is and rhythm of the instrument, the tech-
“Mone of the undisputed musical nique and capacity for improvisation,
geniuses of the 20th century, ambas- but also and above all for transversal
sador of Afro-American music in the and universal readability. His famous
world”. The Encyclopedia Treccani sentence: “If you need to ask what jazz
defines Louis Daniel Armstrong, tru- is, you’ll never know.” He even ended
mpet soloist, singer and composer born up in jail, when he was very young,
in New Orleans on August 4, 1900. He with a gunshot in the air on a New Ye-
was the first, along with his trumpet ar’s night. But he treasured this expe-
and his voice, to carry the irresistible rience, because that’s where he met the
charm around the world of jazz, after music and knew his personal passion for
having helped to create it, interpreting the instrument, the cornet, even before
over time that syncretism between Afri- the trumpet, which will accompany him
can poetics, which went back to the vast for life. “Every man - he said - has his
cultural memory of the deported slaves, own music that boils inside him”. The
and western musical forms, at the base one that flowed in his veins, full of cre-
of the genre. He pushed the boundaries ativity and suggestion, came out than- and 1940s, with the Great Depression,
beyond those hitherto explored, mar- ks to self-study, very common among for commercial reasons, he appeared as
king extraordinary moments in the black musicians at the time, who tou- a celebrity in the great orchestras, with
history of music of all times and its de- ched with him very high points and al- which he also recorded important pieces
velopment. To certify this undisputed lowed him to reach levels of unthinkable (Mahogany Hall stomp, I can’t give you
merit, the prestigious Grammy Lifetime virtuosity, giving proof of his authentic anything but love, Dallas Blues). But
Achievement Award by the Academy musical genius. Who says he was “ca- still the music market changes with the
of Recording Arts and Sciences arrived pable of making the trumpet cry” says Second World War: the crisis of the gre-
posthumously, the year after his dea- a sacred truth! With him comes a deci- at orchestras brings him back to form a
th on 6 July 1971. The ascent marked sive turning point in the very expres- small complex, which became mythical
his whole life, certainly not easy: born sion of jazz: Armstrong is the first to because it accompanied him from 1947
in a black and very poor family of the offer himself as a soloist to his audience, to his death, with highly acclaimed
Louisiana of the time, his curriculum supported by the band’s incursions. In tours all over the world: the All Stars.
is formed in the street and reaches the Chicago came the decisive meeting with His distinctive features were certainly
stars, studded with recordings that King Oliver and the one with pianist Lil elegance, passion, creativity. And
were awarded with the Grammy Hall Hardin, who became his wife and also perhaps, above all, a great and very pro-
of Fame Award, a recognition destined his manager. With her he gave life to the found humanity, which shines through
- even this - for pieces of historical and first groups. The history of the country when he says: “You must love to be able
cultural value. His version of the West greatly influenced the course of his care- to play”. Or when he sings, with his un-
End Blues of 1928, in 1974 was inclu- er and his stylistic choices, often dicta- forgettable hoarse voice What a Won-
ded in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ted by record companies. In the 1930s derful World!

le quali, pure, incide brani im- a formare un piccolo complesso, la creatività. E forse, su tutte, una
portanti (Mahogany Hall stomp, divenuto mitico perché lo accom- grande e profondissima uma-
I can’t give you anything but love, pagnò dal 1947 alla morte, con nità, che traspare tutta quando
Dallas Blues). Ma ancora il mer- applauditissime tournée in tut- afferma: «Devi amare per poter
cato musicale cambia con la Se- to il mondo: gli All Stars. Le sue suonare». O quando canta, con
conda Guerra Mondiale: la crisi caratteristiche distintive furono la sua indimenticabile voce roca
delle grandi orchestre lo riporta senz’altro l’eleganza, la passione, What a Wonderful World!

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