From Library Journal
Credited with being the father of jazz trumpeters, if not jazz phrasing itself, Louis Armstrong is the subject of numerous biographies. A writer and former bandleader with an affinity for Armstrong's work, Travis here offers a more author-centered approach that greatly emphasizes the injustices that Armstrong and other black musicians faced. Given his allegations, e.g., that Armstrong's management was involved with the Mafia, some background into his sources would have been nice. In its defense, this book, which draws much basic material from other publications, seems to be meant as an impassioned treatment for general readers rather than as a scholarly document. As such, and given the variety of other sources available, it is not an essential purchase. (Illustrations and bibliography not seen.)?Ronald S. Russ, William F. Laman P.L., Little Rock, Ark.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Travis, the premier popular historian of Chicago's black community, has also written extensively on jazz musicians. Here he offers a simple, lively life of the first great jazz star. Although Travis makes some trivial factual errors (e.g., claiming a young Armstrong got to Duluth, Minnesota, on a Mississippi River steamer), his narrative sticks to the facts of Armstrong's life and eschews the kind of interpretation and nuancing that often gets self-consciously scholarly biographers in trouble. There is very nearly a picture per page, and the concluding chapter of appreciative statements from "Pops' children" --subsequent jazz musicians including Dizzy Gillespie, Cab Calloway, and Maxine Sullivan--rounds the book off nicely. Ray Olson
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
