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Louis Armstrong

National Portrait Gallery

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Object Details

Artist
Herman Leonard, 1923 - 2010
Sitter
Louis Armstrong, 4 Aug 1901 - 6 Jul 1971
Exhibition Label
A trumpet virtuoso and innovative vocalist, jazz pioneer Louis Armstrong helped to transform jazz into an international phenomenon. Raised in New Orleans, where he first learned to play the cornet, Armstrong was recruited for “King” Oliver’s Chicago-based Creole Jazz Band in 1922. When the opportunity to perform with Fletcher Henderson’s orchestra took Armstrong to New York City in 1924, his technical prowess and rhythmic ingenuity played a critical role in the development of the new musical style known as “swing.” After forming his own band––the Hot Five––in 1925, Armstrong made a series of memorable recordings that secured his reputation as both the first great jazz soloist and a vocalist as skilled at “scat” singing as he was at melody. Armstrong’s career flourished throughout the swing era. When swing gave way to bebop following World War II, Armstrong rode the wave of the Dixieland jazz revival, becoming its most popular performer.
Virtuoso de la trompeta y vocalista original, Louis Armstrong fue un pionero del jazz que ayudó a transformar el género en un fenómeno internacional. Armstrong creció en New Orleans, donde aprendió a tocar la corneta, y en 1922 fue reclutado por “King” Oliver para su Creole Jazz Band, radicada en Chicago. En 1924 se le presentó la oportunidad de tocar con la orquesta de Fletcher Henderson en New York, donde su maestría técnica y su genio rítmico fueron factores cruciales en el desarrollo del nuevo estilo conocido como swing. Después de fundar su propia banda, Hot Five, en 1925, Armstrong grabó una serie de memorables discos que consolidaron su reputación como primer gran solista de jazz y vocalista tan diestro en el scat como en la melodía. Su carrera floreció durante la era del swing. Cuando éste cedió el paso al bebop, luego de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, Armstrong aprovechó el resurgimiento del dixieland, convirtiéndose en su más popular exponente.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
1960 (printed 1998)
Object number
NPG.2014.111.1
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Copyright
© Herman Leonard Photography LLC
Type
Photograph
Medium
Selenium-toned gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image: 30.7 × 40cm (12 1/16 × 15 3/4")
Sheet: 40.5 × 50.5cm (15 15/16 × 19 7/8")
Frame: 56.5 × 71.8 × 3.8 cm (22 1/4 × 28 1/4 × 1 1/2")
Place
France\Île-de-France\Ville de Paris, Départment de\Paris
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Interior
Home Furnishings\Drinking vessel\Glass
Music\Musical instrument\Trumpet
Container\Pitcher
Louis Armstrong: Male
Louis Armstrong: Performing Arts\Performer\Actor\Movie
Louis Armstrong: Performing Arts\Performer\Comedian
Louis Armstrong: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Singer\Jazz
Louis Armstrong: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Jazz
Louis Armstrong: Performing Arts\Performer\Musician\Horn\Trumpet
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.2014.111.1
Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)
Usage conditions apply
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4eaf9899e-ea00-4137-acc1-a1c71077675c

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