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 (From
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.
In the song "Now You Has Jazz," Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby share their love and passion for jazz music. The song starts with a call to attention from the "cosy virtuosi," or the skilled jazz musicians who want to show the audience how the music is made. The lyrics describe the different instruments used in jazz, from the drums ("take some skins") to the trombone ("take a bone"), showcasing the improvisational aspect of the genre.
The song also highlights jazz's popularity and influence around the world. The lyrics mention Italy, France, Siam, and the Amazon, noting that jazz has a significant following and presence in each of these locations. The chorus repeats "now you has jazz" several times, emphasizing the joy and excitement that the music brings to its listeners.
Interestingly, Louis Armstrong recorded a solo version of this song in 1957, but the more famous version is the duet with Bing Crosby from the 1959 film "High Society." The film was a musical comedy featuring both Armstrong and Crosby, who were known for their contributions to jazz music. "Now You Has Jazz" was the standout number from the film and became a popular song in its own right.
Line by Line Meaning
Gentlefolk of Newport
Respected people of Newport
Or should I say "hats and cats,"
Maybe, I should welcome the hep and cool people, in other words- hats and cats
Please lend an ear
It's a request to listen carefully
That you all may hear
So that each of you can listen and understand
Some shimmering sharps and flats.
You will hear some beautiful music with different pitches of notes
For those cosy virtuosi,
For those experienced and skilled musicians
known as "hipsters" to the trade,
They are professionally known as hipsters in the music industry
wish to show you now
They want to demonstrate you now
Precisely how
In a precise and accurate manner
Jazz music is made.
Jazz music is formed.
Take some skins,
Take a set of drums
Jazz begins,
Jazz music starts
Take a bass
Take a bass guitar
Steady pace,
Play it with a consistent pace
Take a box,
Take a piano
One that rocks,
A piano that has an exciting and lively rhythm
Take a blue horn New Orleans-born.
Take a trumpet from New Orleans.
Take a stick
Take a drumstick
With a lick,
With a specific pattern of notes being played repeatedly
Take a bone,
Take a trombone
Dixie-grown,
It originated from Dixieland, a genre of jazz
Take a spot,
Take a specific part
Cool and hot,
It should create an excellent contrast of calmness and excitement
Now you has jazz jazz jazz, jazz, jazz.
Now you've got jazz.
Now you has,
Now you've got
If you sail
In case you travel
Over the sea,
Over the ocean
Take my tip
Here's my advice
They're all molto hip
They all love it in Italy
In Italy.
In the country of Italy.
As for France,
Speaking of France,
Believe it or not,
Whether you believe it or not,
Frenchmen all
All French people
prefer what they call
Love what they refer to as
"Le Jazz Hot."
"The Hot Jazz"
Take a plane
Board a plane
Go to Siam,
Travel to Siam (Thailand)
In Bangkok
At Bangkok
Today, 'round the clock,
All day long today
They have a jam.
They have jazz event.
Indians on
Indigenous people in
the Amazon
The Amazon region
Beat one bar
Play on one measure of music
and all of 'em are
And all of them are
gone, man, gone.
Lost in the music.
From the Equator
From the imaginary line of the Equator
Up to the Pole,
Up to the North Pole
Through the air
The sound travels through the atmosphere
you hear everywhere
That you can hear all across
Rock and roll.
Rock and roll music.
From the East
From the Eastern countries
Out to the West,
All the way to the Western countries
Jazz is king,
Jazz is dominant above all other types of music.
'Cause jazz is the thing
Because jazz music is the one
Folks
People
Dig
Really appreciate
Best.
The most.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: COLE PORTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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