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.
High Society: Now You Has Jazz
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Or should I say "hats and cats,"
Please lend an ear
That you all may hear
Some shimmering sharps and flats.
For those cosy virtuosi,
known as "hipsters" to the trade,
wish to show you now
Jazz music is made.
Take some skins,
Jazz begins,
Take a bass
Steady pace,
Take a box,
One that rocks,
Take a blue horn New Orleans-born.
Take a stick
With a lick,
Take a bone,
Dixie-grown,
Take a spot,
Cool and hot,
Now you has jazz jazz jazz, jazz, jazz.
Now you has,
Now you has,
Now you has,
Now you has,
Now you has,
Now you has,
Now you has jazz, jazz, jazz, jazz, jazz, jazz,
Now you
Has,
Now you
Has,
Now you
Has,
Now you has jazz, jazz, jazz, jazz, jazz.
Jazz
Jazz
Jazz
Jazz
Jazz
Jazz
Now you has jazz,
Now you has jazz,
Now you has jazz
If you sail
Over the sea,
Take my tip
They're all molto hip
In Italy.
As for France,
Believe it or not,
Frenchmen all
prefer what they call
"Le Jazz Hot."
Take a plane
Go to Siam,
In Bangkok
Today, 'round the clock,
They have a jam.
Indians on
the Amazon
Beat one bar
and all of 'em are
gone, man, gone.
From the Equator
Up to the Pole,
Through the air
you hear everywhere
Rock and roll.
From the East
Out to the West,
Jazz is king,
'Cause jazz is the thing
Folks
Dig
Best.
The song "Now You Has Jazz" is a duet between Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby that celebrates the power and allure of jazz music. The song begins with Armstrong addressing the audience at Newport and acknowledging the different groups of people in attendance, calling them "hats and cats." He then introduces jazz music to the audience by describing the different instruments and styles that go into making jazz music, including drums, bass, horns, and blues influences from New Orleans and Dixie. Crosby joins in with the refrain "Now you has jazz," repeating the phrase over and over again to emphasize the infectiousness and universality of jazz music.
The song is a tribute to the power of jazz as a global cultural phenomenon. Armstrong and Crosby sing about how jazz has a universal appeal that can be appreciated in countries all over the world, from Italy to Siam. The lyrics showcase the idea that jazz is something that brings people together regardless of their cultural background or origin. The song reflects Armstrong's passion for jazz as an art form that was inclusive and democratic, embracing musicians from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
One interesting fact about "Now You Has Jazz" is that the song was featured in the film High Society starring Armstrong, Crosby, and Grace Kelly. The film was a musical romantic comedy produced in 1956 and was a remake of the 1940 film The Philadelphia Story. Another interesting fact is that the song was written by Cole Porter, who wrote many other iconic songs in the Great American Songbook, such as "Anything Goes" and "I Got You Under My Skin." The song was one of many jazz standards that Porter wrote over his long and distinguished career. Additionally, "Now You Has Jazz" was one of Armstrong's last major hits in the United States. While he would continue to record and perform music until his death in 1971, his popularity and influence began to wane in the late 1950s and 1960s as rock and roll became the dominant form of popular music.
Chords (in B-flat):
Verse:
Bb - - - | - - - - | - - - - | - - - - |
Eb - - - | - - - - | Bb - - - | - - - - |
Bb - - - | - - - - | Dm - - - | Gm - - - |
Cm - F7 - | Bb - - - | - - - - | - - - - |
Chorus:
Bb - - - | - - - - | Eb - - - | - - - - |
Bb - - - | - - - - | Eb - - - | - - - - |
Bb - - - | - - - - | Bb - - - | - - - - |
Eb - - - | - - - - | Bb - - - | - - - - |
Line by Line Meaning
Gentlefolk of Newport
Ladies and gentlemen of Newport
Or should I say "hats and cats,"
Or perhaps I should address you as cool and trendy.
Please lend an ear
Please listen attentively
That you all may hear
So that you may all hear
Some shimmering sharps and flats.
Some exciting and interesting sounds.
For those cosy virtuosi,
For those talented and accomplished musicians,
known as "hipsters" to the trade,
commonly referred to as hipsters by the industry
wish to show you now
want to demonstrate to you presently
Precisely how
Exactly how
Jazz music is made.
Jazz music is created.
Take some skins,
Drums are utilized,
Jazz begins,
and jazz music starts
Take a bass
A bass instrument is then used
Steady pace,
to keep a constant rhythm
Take a box,
Also known as a piano
One that rocks,
A piano that produces energetic and exciting music
Take a blue horn New Orleans-born.
A trumpet made in New Orleans is added to the mix.
Take a stick
A clarinet instrument is introduced.
With a lick,
To play thrilling musical phrases.
Take a bone,
A trombone instrument is brought in.
Dixie-grown,
Sourced out from the American South.
Take a spot,
Find the perfect tempo
Cool and hot,
A mix of calming and intense rhythms
Now you has jazz jazz jazz, jazz, jazz.
The powerful combination of all these instruments is jazz.
Now you has,
Now you have
Now you has,
Now you have
Now you has,
Now you have
Now you has,
Now you have
Now you has,
Now you have
Now you has jazz, jazz, jazz, jazz, jazz, jazz,
Now you have jazz music!
Now you
Here you
Has,
Have it,
Now you
Here you
Has,
Have it,
Now you
Here you
Has,
Have it,
Now you has jazz, jazz, jazz, jazz, jazz.
Now you have jazz music, over and over again!
Jazz
Music genre characterized by improvisation
Jazz
Undoubtedly jazz
Jazz
Definitely jazz
Jazz
Without question jazz
Jazz
Absolutely jazz
Jazz
Jazz music
Now you has jazz,
Here, you have jazz music.
Now you has jazz,
Now you have jazz music.
Now you has jazz
Jazz music is now available!
If you sail
If you ever travel by sea
Over the sea,
To other countries
Take my tip
Remember my advice
They're all molto hip
People from other countries also love jazz.
In Italy.
Even in Italy.
As for France,
When it comes to France
Believe it or not,
Whether you believe it or not
Frenchmen all
The French
prefer what they call
Prefer the music called
"Le Jazz Hot."
Le Jazz Hot. "
Take a plane
Travel by plane
Go to Siam,
Visit Siam
In Bangkok
In Bangkok,
Today, 'round the clock,
Anytime throughout the day,
They have a jam.
They are jamming jazz music.
Indians on
Indigenous people on
the Amazon
the Amazon River and its surrounding areas
Beat one bar
Play one bar of music
and all of 'em are
and all of them become
gone, man, gone.
Lost in the excitement of the music
From the Equator
From the middle of the earth
Up to the Pole,
To the northernmost point of the earth.
Through the air
Through the ether!
you hear everywhere
Jazz music can be heard all over.
Rock and roll.
Also, they play rock and roll music.
From the East
Music from eastern regions
Out to the West,
From the East to the West.
Jazz is king,
Jazz music is the most popular
'Cause jazz is the thing
Because jazz music is the best
Folks
People
Dig
Love
Best.
The most, jazz music!
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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