Books: The Art of Louis Armstrong

Louis Armstrong is unquestionably one of the most talented American artists of the last century. He was an unparalleled trumpeter, a singular singer and an iconic personality. But a writer and collage artist? In his book Satchmo: The Wonderful World and Art of Louis Armstrong, Steven Brower explores the unknown talents of Armstrong’s private life, compositing a collection of mostly unseen letters and collages that trace the life and career of the prolific jazzman.

Jazz and collage have much in common, which is likely why Armstrong favoured both art forms. In jazz you can hear history – be it the collective history of America, the African-American cultural past, or the story of an individual. Just like a collage, which uses found images and reworks and reinterprets them, jazz is a perpetual reinterpretation of old tunes, rhythms and standards. Every song is a reinterpretation of the past. Brower’s claim, it seems, is that while Armstrong publicly excelled in one type of reinterpretive art form – jazz as aural collage – he also spent a great deal of time on the other documenting his personal achievements.

Part art book and part biography, Satchmo opens with a graphic timeline of Armstrong’s life. Brower gives a biographical account of the famous musician, but the real exposition comes from the selection of primary materials – excerpts from Armstrong’s personal writings, photographs, and of course, his collages glued on tape reel boxes. It’s in these images that Armstrong’s story really sings.

There’s no question that the world of Louis Armstrong really was wonderful. Or, at least, it was in the way he documented it. His artworks include clippings from newspapers (all superlative headlines and laudatory reviews), telegrams from Presidents (Eisenhower to Nixon) and photographs with himself and other celebrities such as Bing Crosby, Spencer Tracy, and Frank Sinatra. In these collages, it is as though Armstrong is his own biggest fan – a testament to his unflinching desire to succeed and his subsequent bewilderment at such intense stardom.

So it’s not so much an art book as much as it’s one of the coolest scrapbooks ever. The only problem is Brower’s contention that the book is about his “Art” and not just a reflection on his wonderful world. While Armstrong’s music certainly stands on its own without these images, his collages don’t really pull the same weight. Maybe this is why he made them on the cardboard covers of his tape reels – they were not meant to be separated from his sound.

Still, if you take the book for what it is – a collection of archival documents, some of which have never been printed before – it’s pretty impressive. Any Louis Armstrong fan, or really any fan of American popular culture of the last century, will truly appreciate this book. It’s Louis Armstrong telling his own story in his own soulful voice – the same one his fans have already come to know and love.