The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong

“Born poor, died rich, never harmed anyone along the way,” Duke Ellington said of goodwill ambassador to the universe Louis Armstrong, the greatest jazz-man in the history of music, and better known worldwide than Bach or Beethoven. In celebration of what would have been his 100th birthday, this BBC aired documentary chronicles the life and work of Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong. For over four decades the jazzmeister toured nearly 300 days a year, crisscrossing America, before moving on to Europe, Africa and the rest of the world. Married four times--to Daisy, Lillian, Alpha, and finally to Lucille the “love of his life”--Armstrong was considered an Uncle Tom by many of his contemporaries because although his high profile placed him in a unique position to speak out about racism in America, he remained relatively quiet. Viewers learn that Armstrong did indeed have a difficult childhood, growing up a street urchin in the red light district of New Orleans, before eventually winding up in a correctional home where he learned how to play trumpet. The rest of Armstrong's 54-year career, as they say, is history. Narrated by Danny Glover, this beautifully lensed program (anchored by warm sepia tones) seamlessly fuses archival footage, home movies, and performance clips, along with praise from countless musicians, including Dave Brubeck and Wynton Marsalis, and numerous interviews with jazz historians and Armstrong biographers. While it's a bit of a disappointment that we don't see clips of the original scat man Armstrong singing with jazz icons such as Ella Fitzgerald, Bessie Smith, or the Duke, his musicianship is visually well documented here. Combining an extraordinary ability to play an inventive ‘playful blues' style of jazz, coupled with charisma that quite literally and single-handedly blew the hell out of America's color barrier, Louis Armstrong was an American original, justly celebrated in this warm tribute. Highly recommended. [Note: the DVD includes a discography and photo gallery]. Aud: H, C, P. (N. Plympton)