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.
Stompin' at the Savoy
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Savoy, it wins you with a glance,
Savoy, gives happy feet a chance to dance.
Your old form just like a clinging vine,
Your lips so warm and sweet as wine,
Your cheek so soft and close to mine, divine.
How my heart is singing,
I'm never tired of romping,
And stomping with you at the Savoy.
What joy, a perfect holiday,
Savoy, where we can glide and sway,
Savoy, let me stomp away with you
The home of sweet romance,
It wins you at a glance,
Gives happy feet a chance to dance.
Just like a clinging vine,
So soft and sweet as wine,
So soft and close to mine, divine.
How my heart is singing,
While the band is swinging,
I'm never, never, never tired of romping,
And stomping with you at the Savoy.
What joy, a perfect holiday,
Savoy, where we can glide and sway,
Savoy, let me stomp away with you
The lyrics of Louis Armstrong's "Stompin at the Savoy" captures the exuberance and joy of dancing with a loved one at the famous Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, New York in the 1930s. The song is both a celebration of the romance and a tribute to the music of the era. The first line "Savoy, the home of sweet romance" sets the tone for the rest of the song. The reference to "sweet romance" describes the Savoy Ballroom as a place where couples go to share intimate moments and dance to the music of the time.
The second line "Savoy, it wins you with a glance" suggests that the Savoy Ballroom is a place of attraction and desire. The Savoy Ballroom was known for its magnificent dance floor, which was big enough to accommodate over 5,000 dancers, and for its world-renowned swing bands, who performed there regularly. The "happy feet a chance to dance" line highlights the excitement and joy of dancing with a loved one on the Savoy's dance floor.
The chorus "How my heart is singing, while the band is swinging, I'm never tired of romping, and stomping with you at the Savoy" expresses the singer's heart filled with joy and happiness, while the band is playing swing music at the Savoy. The next verse continues with the theme of the song, describing how the singer never gets tired of dancing with his lover.
Overall, the lyrics to "Stompin at the Savoy" captures the essence of the Savoy Ballroom in its heyday, where people of all races and backgrounds came together to dance, socialize and escape into the music.
Line by Line Meaning
Savoy, the home of sweet romance,
Savoy is where sweet romance abides.
Savoy, it wins you with a glance,
It can capture you with one look.
Savoy, gives happy feet a chance to dance.
It's a place to let your feet be joyful.
Your old form just like a clinging vine,
Your embrace is like a vine that clings tight.
Your lips so warm and sweet as wine,
Your lips are warm and sweet, like wine.
Your cheek so soft and close to mine, divine.
Your cheek is so soft and close, it's divine.
How my heart is singing,
My heart is bursting with joy.
While the band is swinging,
As the band plays their music.
I'm never tired of romping,
I could never tire of this.
And stomping with you at the Savoy.
Dancing with you, making noise at the Savoy.
What joy, a perfect holiday,
What an opportunity for happiness on this perfect holiday.
Savoy, where we can glide and sway,
A place for us to dance together.
Savoy, let me stomp away with you
Let's make some noise dancing together at the Savoy.
Lyrics © REGENT MUSIC CORPORATION
Written by: IRVING CAESAR, VINCENT YOUMANS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Roy Beckerman
The great sound of Danny and Ludwig...a great double.
Both match grip and traditional.
Certainly up there with best.
Roy Beckerman
He really makes those Ludwigs sing.
Great drummer....using both traditional and matched grip.
Roy Beckerman
Probably the most underrated , top drummer in history..
Jack MacJack
Anybody who ever had the tremendous privilege of playing, performing, or recording on any instrument or vocals with Louis is somebody worth knowing about and following. You had to be the absolute cream of the crop, top notch cat to be allowed to do so.
Jack MacJack
Jaxtyn Marlon I don't care, and please don't use my comments to post irrelevant comments like this.
inga love
Bravo! Cheers and whistles to the whole band. Real talent, real music, not like the modern junk we have today. Louis Armstrong is a legend.
MOWO Media
Discovered this clip through Danny Barcelona's wikipedia page. That solo and end was terrific. Much respect.
Andy Cheung
MOWO Media Yup, I’m also here because of that wiki page haha
JAMIE ARTHUR
MOST EXQUISITE RENDITION EVER NUFF SAID . . .
Ryan Bennett
There's actually a better quality video up on DRUMMERWORLD that was put up a couple years ago! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiesDcZVP_k