Louis Armstrong and New Orleans

LOUIS ARMSTRONG'S NEW ORLEANS DAYS
by Marshall Bowden

There's no doubt that Louis Armstrong, the man, was influenced mightily by the New Orleans in which he grew up, and he always maintained his affection for the city and its people, as is evident in this quote from a letter to a friend describing his wish to be King of the Zulus in the Mardi Gras parade: "The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club was the first colored carnival club to get together in New Orleans. The club has been together for generations and consists of the fellows in my neighborhood. The members were coal-cart drivers, bartenders, waiters, hustlers, etc.-people of all walks of life. Nobody had very much, but they loved each other…and put their best foot forward in making a real fine thing of the club. I am a lifelong member and it was always my ambition to be elected King of the Zulus some day."

Louis realized his dream in 1949, and clearly relished the opportunity to be one of the "fellows in the neighborhood." This Armstrong is the least known of his many faces since it was mainly displayed to his close friends and family. It was this Armstrong that could be openly critical of the prejudice he'd endured so much of his life. According to a story related by Tad Jones, Armstrong, at age four or five, wandered into the white section of a New Orleans streetcar, much to the horror of the woman accompanying him. She shouted at Louis to get back into the colored section of the car. Despite, or perhaps because of the racism he encountered as he grew up, Armstrong embraced and truly appreciated the cultural diversity that New Orleans offered, and was later able to relate to the people of many different cultures and countries through his music and ebullient personality.

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At the age of 7, Louis began to do chores for a Jewish family, the Karnofskys. It was at this time that he accidentally discharged a pistol belonging to his stepfather and was remanded to the Colored Waifs' Home for Boys. There he started to learn to play the trumpet, playing in the orphans' orchestra. He developed more self-confidence and began to be interested in the musical heritage that surrounded him in New Orleans. He was soon being mentored by Joe Oliver, one of the city's best trumpet players, and playing in honky tonks like the Pelican Saloon to support himself and his mother and sister. On South Rampart Street were the bars and markets of immigrants, frequented by blacks because they were not allowed on Canal Street. Again, Louis found himself among people of diverse ethnic backgrounds, and again he used music to help fit into his surroundings and to relate to the people who surrounded him. It could be said that in New Orleans Louis learned both his musical history and appreciation as well as how to be an entertainer and speak to people through music and a sunny disposition.

By 1918, Joe Oliver had moved north, to Chicago, and Louis was good enough to replace him in the Kid Ory band. Now married to his first wife, Daisy Parker, Louis is a full-fledged musician, and plays at Pythias Hall, headquarters of the Colored Knights of Pythias. An entertainment center for blacks, it includes a theater, movie house, and a roof top garden where Armstrong and Ory play. People have begun to take notice of Louis' trumpet solos, and his style is catching on with the jazz audience of New Orleans. In 1922 Joe Oliver, now going by the name "King" Oliver, sends for Louis to come and play in his group in Chicago. Louis packs up and heads north, returning to New Orleans only for engagements, visits to family, and to be King of the Zulus in the Mardi Gras Parade of 1949.

In Chicago, Armstrong would do some of his finest musical work, including his sides with the legendary Hot Fives and Hot Sevens. But New Orleans had made its mark on Louis, as he had made his mark on the city.

Louis Armstrong Artist Page
Louis Armstrong in Chicago