Coming to prominence in the 1920s as an inventive trumpet and cornet player, Armstrong was a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the focus of the music from collective improvisation to solo performance. With his instantly-recognizable gravelly voice, Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes. He was also skilled at scat singing (vocalizing using sounds and syllables instead of actual lyrics).
Renowned for his charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet-playing, Armstrong's influence extends well beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was widely regarded as a profound influence on popular music in general. Armstrong was one of the first truly popular African-American entertainers to "cross over", whose skin-color was secondary to his music in an America that was severely racially divided. He rarely publicly politicized his race, often to the dismay of fellow African-Americans, but took a well-publicized stand for desegregation during the Little Rock Crisis. His artistry and personality allowed him socially acceptable access to the upper echelons of American society that were highly restricted for a black man.
Armstrong was born and brought up in New Orleans, a culturally diverse town with a unique musical mix of creole, ragtime, marching bands, and blues. Although from an early age he was able to play music professionally, he didn't travel far from New Orleans until 1922, when he went to Chicago to join his mentor, King Oliver. Oliver's band played primitive jazz, a hotter style of ragtime, with looser rhythms and more improvisation, and Armstrong's role was mostly backing. Slow to promote himself, he was eventually persuaded by his wife Lil Hardin to leave Oliver, and In 1924 he went to New York to join the Fletcher Henderson Orchestra. At the time, there were a few other artists using the rhythmic innovations of the New Orleans style, but none did it with the energy and brilliance of Armstrong, and he quickly became a sensation among New York musicians. Back in Chicago in 1925, he made his first recordings with his own group, Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five, and these became not only popular hits but also models for the first generation of jazz musicians, trumpeters or otherwise.
Other hits followed through the twenties and thirties, as well as troubles: crooked managers, lip injuries, mob entanglements, failed big-band ventures. As jazz styles changed, though, musical purists never lost any respect for him -- although they were sometimes irritated by his hammy onstage persona. Around the late forties, with the help of a good manager, Armstrong's business affairs finally stablilized, and he began to be seen as an elder statesman of American popular entertainment, appearing in Hollywood films, touring Asia and Europe, and dislodging The Beatles from the number-one position with Hello Dolly". Today many people may know him as a singer (a good one), but as Miles Davis said: “You can’t play nothing on modern trumpet that doesn’t come from him."
The 62-year-old Armstrong became the oldest act to top the US charts when "Hello Dolly" reached #1 in 1964. Four years later Satchmo also became the oldest artist to record a UK #1, when "What a Wonderful World" hit the top spot.
China Town My China Town
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's the time the festive chink starts to wink his other eye,
Starts to wink his dreamy eye, lazily you'll hear him sigh.
Strangers taking in the sights, pigtails flying here and there.
See that broken wall street sport, still thinks he's a millionaire.
Still thinks he's a millionaire, pipe dreams banish every care.
Where the lights are low,
Hearts that know no other land,
Drifting to and fro.
Dreamy dreamy Chinatown,
Almond eyes of brown,
Hearts seems light and life seems bright,
In dreamy Chinatown
Louis Armstrong's song "Chinatown My China Town" is a beautifully sung tribute to the Chinese culture and people in America. In the opening lines, Armstrong describes how the town goes to sleep as midnight looms in the sky. This is the time when the Chinese people come alive and the partying begins. The festive chinks start to wink their other eye, which hints at their relaxation and unwinding after a long day's work. You can hear them sighing lazily and enjoying their free time.
As the verse continues, Armstrong notes that many strangers come to Chinatown to take in the sights. They see the pigtails of the Chinese women flying here and there, and a broken street sport who still thinks he's a millionaire. It's clear that Armstrong is describing the various lives and experiences of the Chinese people, from downtrodden individuals to those who still hold onto hope and dreams. In the end, Armstrong paints a picture of Chinatown as a dreamy and magical place where the almond-eyed people are carefree, light-hearted, and happy.
Line by Line Meaning
When the town is fast asleep, and it's midnight in the sky
When everyone else is asleep and it's late at night
That's the time the festive chink starts to wink his other eye
That's when the Chinese people in Chinatown start to enjoy themselves and relax
Starts to wink his dreamy eye, lazily you'll hear him sigh
They start to daydream and relax
Strangers taking in the sights, pigtails flying here and there
When outsiders come to visit, they see the Chinese traditions and culture
See that broken wall street sport, still thinks he's a millionaire
People try to make a living any way they can, and some still believe in the American Dream
Still thinks he's a millionaire, pipe dreams banish every care
Despite their struggles, dreams give them hope and make life enjoyable
Chinatown, my Chinatown
This is Chinatown, the place where Chinese people come together
Where the lights are low
The district is much quieter and less vibrant than others
Hearts that know no other land,
The residents of Chinatown are fully committed to their culture and traditions
Drifting to and fro.
They wander around the district aimlessly, simply enjoying the moment.
Dreamy dreamy Chinatown,
Chinatown feels like a dreamy place
Almond eyes of brown,
The people here have brown eyes that are shaped like almonds
Hearts seems light and life seems bright,
Despite the struggles everyone faces, people remain optimistic
In dreamy Chinatown
This is the dreamlike feeling of being in Chinatown
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, BMG Rights Management
Written by: LUTHER HENDERSON, WILLIAM JEROME, JEAN SCHWARTZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Georgi Valtscheff
I'm just passing by to tell you how much I appreciate what you're doing. I especially love your serbian pieces. You've just earned a subscriber. Good luck from Bulgaria.
Steven Kozobarich
Thanks so much for the nice comment Georgi! I really appreciate it!
57dogsbody
This is why Louis is the Greatest.
lopov74
Great record Steve. I also have a large Jazz 78 collection. The trumpet solo and the orchestra backing at the end of the song has so much energy.
Steven Kozobarich
I love his recordings with this orchestra. The band has a lot of enthusiasm and they work well together. I don't have many jazz 78s, but I wish I had more Louis Armstrong records. I'd love to find a copy of "Aint Misbehavin'" or "Stardust" in this condition. I love his old blues recordings too. Actually I love just about everything Louis Armstrong ever did. He's one of the few musicians who only got better as time passed.
Ted Lawrence
Early Armstrong discs are hard to find in top condition
lopov74
If you ever get a chance check out the song swing that music by Louis Armstrong I think it's one of his best. The ride out on the end is awesome the whole orchestra behind him sounds like its about to explode.
Steven Kozobarich
Oh yeah, I love that one! There are actually two versions on Decca and they're both amazing. The first was recorded with his orchestra (really Luis Russell's orchestra) on May 18, 1936, and the second was recorded on August 7, 1936, with Jimmy Dorcey's orchestra. Do you have the Mosaic Decca box set (1935-1946)? The sound quality is unbelievable and it has all of the alternate takes. I have all of Louis Armstrong's recordings made between 1923-1934 (including all of the blues accompaniments and appearances with other orchestras like Fletcher Henderson, Clarence William's Blue Five, Perry Bradford's Jazz Phools, Erskine Tate's Vendome Orchestra, etc..) and most of his recordings through the late 1940s and beyond. There's also a great live version of "Swing That Music" from the June 25, 1938 episode of "Saturday Night Swing Club". Have you heard his 1937 Fleischmann's Yeast radio broadcasts? Those are really great too.
V A L E N T I N A
@Steven Kozobarich Where did you find such an amazing collection? Do you just go thrift shopping or you bought them from real collectors? I guess finding records in the US is much easier than in Europe :)
henok ghebreghergis
Thanks alot for this record! 👌💪👍