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.
Stomping 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
While the band is swinging
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
Louis Armstrong’s song “Stomping at the Savoy” is a classic jazz tune filled with romantic themes and celebration of dance. The first verse describes the Savoy as the “home of sweet romance” and that it wins people over with just a glance. The second verse references the physical aspects of the singer’s dance partner - a “clinging vine” with lips as “warm and sweet as wine” and a soft cheek “close to mine, divine.” The chorus emphasizes the joy and excitement of dancing at the Savoy, where the singer’s heart is singing and never tired of “romping and stomping” with their partner. The final verse repeats the earlier themes and emphasizes the Savoy as a perfect holiday destination.
In many ways, “Stomping at the Savoy” is a celebration of the Harlem jazz scene, particularly the famous Savoy Ballroom. Throughout the song, Armstrong references the joy and excitement that could be found at the venue, particularly through the joy of dancing. The importance of dance in African American culture throughout the early 20th century cannot be overstated, particularly as it offered a rare space where black people could celebrate their culture and connect with their community in a way that was otherwise not possible.
Line by Line Meaning
Savoy, the home of sweet romance
Savoy, a place where love and affection prosper
Savoy, it wins you with a glance
Savoy, an establishment captivating its visitors with its ambiance
Savoy gives happy feet a chance to dance
Savoy encourages people to dance and have fun
Your old form just like a clinging vine
Your figure is curvy and luscious
Your lips so warm and sweet as wine
Your lips are pleasurable to kiss
Your cheek so soft and close to mine, divine
Your proximity and touch feels heavenly
How my heart is singing
I feel an intense emotion of happiness
While the band is swinging
The music is upbeat and energetic
I'm never tired of romping
I never get bored of dancing and having fun
And stomping with you at the Savoy
And dancing passionately with you at Savoy
What joy, a perfect holiday
I feel ecstatic, as if I'm on an ideal vacation
Savoy, where we can glide and sway
Savoy, a place where we can dance gracefully
Savoy, let me stomp away with you
Let's dance vigorously together at Savoy
Lyrics © REGENT MUSIC CORPORATION, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Benny Goodman, Edgar Sampson, Chick Webb
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