From Louis Armstrong to the 60s

Yesterday I finished reading the Louis Armstrong Book. I enjoyed it and learned a lot about jazz, music in general and music in the context of culture and geography. It really got me thinking. However, I have to say that I pretty much skimmed the last chapter, "Melody that Changed the World," because it was just too technical musically for my limited knowledge. But I appreciated the last chapter of the book ending with, "Out of their values and practices came the fruits of an expressive culture that are with us still." Since I started reading the book, I have added quite a few jazz songs to my iPod, including lots of New Orleans jazz and have a newfound appreciation for them and where they came from.

Now when I listen to Armstrong sing the lyrics of "Do you Know what it Means to Miss New Orleans" I have a much better sense of the place and people.

I have read just a few pages of Positively 4th Street, but I see at least one similarity shared by both books. That is, the authors trace the style of music they focus on back to the culture and people that produced it.

My parents listened to Louis Armstrong on 78s! I came of age listening to Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and the Farinas - on 33rpm records. Dylan's song "Positively 4th Street" and its references to his time in New York and in Greenwich Village speak more to my personal experience than does Louis Armstrong. But I enjoy listening to jazz, folk and many different musical styles. It reminds me how lucky we are to live in a time when we CAN listen to such a diversity of music - via, radio, records, CDs, iPods and other downloads and more.