Satchmo: The Wonderful World and Art of Louis
Armstrong is a biography in the form of an art book. It
tells the story of Armstrong's life through his writings,
scrapbooks, and artworks, many of which have never been
published before. Armstrong was the single greatest creative
artist in the history of jazz and the American popular song.
A true American original, he was prolific in coining
colorful expressions that entered the lexicon; he wrote
long, colorful prose pieces about his experiences; and he
made hundreds of collages using marvelous photographs that
capture archetypal scenes in the life of a jazz musician.
Everything he did was an extension of his
artistry.
Satchmo is a vivid
trip through American jazz at mid-century, to the beat of
Armstrong's own jazzy words. The book also includes
photographs of Armstrong and is framed by a text that
describes his significance. It will be enjoyed not only by
jazz fans but also by art lovers, who will welcome Armstrong
into the pantheon of American visual
artists.
"The Revolution initiated by
Gore Vidal with his Empire series is continued and
modernized by Steven Brower in Satchmo: The Wonderful
World and Art of Louis Armstrong. It is a Revolution
that challenges the way in which history is told, read, and
accepted...Most importantly, however, Satchmo reminds
us that the book as an object is indispensable in a time
when the fate of the printed book is very much
debated."—Rami Shamir, Evergreen
Review
"Interspersed with vivid bursts of
Armstrong’s own writings, what emerges is a portrait of such
intimacy, it comes closest in the vast Armstrong
bibliography to capturing the humble humanity and generosity
of spirit of one of the great figures of the 20th
century."—Stuart Nicholson, The
Guardian
"Satchmo…had a way with yet
another instrument: a pair of scissors. Between sets, he
snipped words and images from ads and greeting cards,
letters, telegraphs, and photos of friends and fans, then
pasted them into jazzy, colorful collages. Satchmo: The
Wonderful World and Art of Louis Armstrong collects
these elegant riffs by the most artful of improvisers"—O,
The Oprah magazine
"A beautifully
illustrated new book. It combines an eloquently-written
narrative about the trumpeter’s life and achievements with
page after page of richly-detailed colour photographs
depicting Armstrong’s tape box collages." (4
Stars) —Charles Waring, The Record
Collector
"[Satchmo] perfectly
complements and enhances the visual art of Louis Armstrong…a
fascinating and handsome perspective on a particular aspect
of the various talents with which Armstrong was blessed, one
that had previously remained unexposed to the general
public. … a heartfelt tribute to the creative genius of
Louis Armstrong."—Joe Lang, New Jersey Jazz
Society "A beautiful book puts together
hundreds of notebooks of collages never seen before by
LA."—Paola Genone , L’Express
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