excerpt from 'Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It' pp. 48-49 (221 words)
excerpt from 'Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It' pp. 48-49 (221 words)
| part of | Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It |
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| original language | |
| in pages | 48-49 |
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The first time I remember seeing Louis Armstrong, he was a little boy playing cornet with the Waif's Home band in a street parade. Even then he stood out. In those days I had a brass band I used for funerals, parades, and picnics. [Black] Benny, the drummer of my brass band, had taken Louis under his wing. One evening, Benny brought Louis, who had just been released from the Waif's Home, to National Park [New Orleans] where I was playing a picnic. Benny asked me I would let Louis sit in with my band. I remembered the kid from the street parade and I gladly agreed. Louis came up and played Ole Miss and the blues, and everyone in the park went wild over this boy in knee trousers who could play so great. I liked Louis' playing so much that I asked him to come and sit with my band any time he could. [...] There were many good, experienced trumpet players in town, but none of them had young Louis' possibilities. I went to see him and told him that if he got himself a pair of long trousers I'd give him a job. Within two hours, Louis came to my house and said, "Here I am, I'll be glad when eight o'clock comes. I am ready to go". |
| appears in search results as | excerpt from 'Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It' pp. 48-49 (221 words) |
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