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.
Summer Time
Louis Armstrong Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fish are jumpin'...and the cotton is high
Yo' daddy's rich...and yo' mama's good-lookin'
So hush little baby......don't you cry
One of these mornin's..you gonna rise up singin'
You gonna spread your little wings...and you'll take to the sky
But 'till that mornin'...there ain't nothin' gonna harm you
Now it's summertime....and the livin' is easy
Them fish are jumpin'...and the cotton's 'bout waist high
Yo' daddy's rich...and, ya know yo' mama's good-lookin'
Now hush little baby......don't....you cry
Summertime....
Ah said it's summertime
Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald's song Summertime is a classic jazz piece that has become a standard in the industry. The song is written as a lullaby, with the singer addressing a baby. The first stanza of the song paints a picture of a hot and lazy summer day, where the fish are jumping and the cotton fields are tall. The baby's parents are described as wealthy and attractive, ensuring that the child's life will be comfortable and easy. The lullaby reassures the baby not to cry because they have nothing to fear with their parents standing by. The second stanza is an empowering message to the baby, telling them that one day they will soar to great heights and accomplish whatever they set their mind to.
Line by Line Meaning
Summertime....and the livin' is easy
Summertime has arrived, and life has become easier, more relaxed, and carefree.
Fish are jumpin'...and the cotton is high
The season is conducive to growth and prosperity, as the fish are thriving, and the cotton plants have grown tall.
Yo' daddy's rich...and yo' mama's good-lookin'
You come from a family of wealth and beauty.
So hush little baby......don't you cry
Don't worry or fret about anything, baby.
One of these mornin's..you gonna rise up singin'
One day, you will wake up happy and cheerful, ready to sing and enjoy your day.
You gonna spread your little wings...and you'll take to the sky
You will grow up and advance to new heights, ready to face the world on your own.
But 'till that mornin'...there ain't nothin' gonna harm you
Until that day comes, nothing will harm or frighten you.
With yo mama and daddy...standin' bye
You will be protected and cared for by your parents, who will always be there for you.
Now it's summertime....and the livin' is easy
The season of warmth and ease is currently upon us.
Them fish are jumpin'...and the cotton's 'bout waist high
Fish are thriving and jumping about, while the cotton plants have grown about waist high.
Yo' daddy's rich...and, ya know yo' mama's good-lookin'
Your family unit is rich and beautiful.
Now hush little baby......don't....you cry
Once again, there is no need for worry or tears in this carefree season of Summertime.
Summertime....
A reminder that the summer season is upon us.
Ah said it's summertime
Reiteration that it is indeed Summertime!
Lyrics © SONGS MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: DOROTHY HEYWARD, DU BOSE HEYWARD, GEORGE GERSHWIN, IRA GERSHWIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@laapgamerkikooshow8732
C'est bien vrai, c'est vraiment lui qui m'a motivé a rester à l'école plus tard uniquement pour pouvoir travailler dur et achever un ton aussi doux et mielleux que lui sur mon cornet
Arturo sandoval
Louis armstrong
James morrison
Jones doseswell
Ce sont vraiment des légende et j'espère pouvoir devenir comme eux un jour...
Un jour...
@user-js6el7vn2r
"ЛЕТНЯЯ ПОРА"
(Ella Fitzgerald)
Летняя пора, и жизнь беззаботна...
Рыба выпрыгивает из воды, и хлопок созрел.
О, твой папочка богат, и твоя мама красива,
Поэтому, тише, малышка, не плачь.
(Louis Armstrong)
Одним прекрасным утром
Ты проснёшься с песней на устах,
А потом расправишь крылья
И улетишь в небо.
А до того утра
Ничто не может причинить тебе зла,
Пока папочка и мамочка рядом с тобой...
@patrickstocks3576
Summertime
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
Oh, your daddy’s rich
And your ma’ is good lookin’
So hush
Little baby
Don’t you cry
One of these mornings
You’re gonna rise up singing
Yes, you’ll spread your wings
And you’ll take to the sky
But ‘til that mornin’
There’s nothin’ can harm you
Yes with Daddy and Mammy
Standing by
Summertime
And the livin’ is easy
Fish are jumpin’
And the cotton is high
On your daddy’s rich
And your ma’ is good lookin’
So hush
Little baby
Baby, don’t you cry
Oh don’t you cry (don’t you cry)
@edmundnankivell2453
Armstrong is pure genius and marvellous gift to the human race
@sickowhale6861
Ella is the light of Jazz, Louis is the sun.
@jamesaleman
One of humanities treasures, worth preserving for as long as we have a star in the sky.
@alexart4123
Summertime is an aria written by George Gershwin in 1935 for the opera Porgy and Bess. Authors: DuBoss Hayward and Ira Gershwin (George's brother). Gershwin took the Ukrainian lullaby "Oh, there is a dream by the windows" which he heard in New York performed by the Ukrainian National Choir under the direction of Oleksandr Koshyts as the basis for writing the aria. The music for the poem was written in February 1934, but the full score of the opera was completed 20 months later.
@verafantasia9850
Восхитительно! 🌷 Сколько лет слушаю, испытываю огромное удовольствие! Погружаюсь в музыку,тембр голосов и улетаю от реальности! Вне времени!
@isrowfr25
April 2021, your trumpet still makes me shiver Louis
@oogalook
Absolutely gorgeous. One of the best of literally 33,000 covers of this song.
@dew2912
Oogalook
Leontyne Price...but in a whole different style...
@angelineameloot1331
The best way to describe this song is hauntingly beautiful
@turkayed
One street performer was singing this song on third street at Santa Monica when I passed by him on December 2011.
Finally, after six years I found this piece of art.
What a beautiful song.