Joe "King" Oliver and Louis Armstrong

1. Up the River to Chicago
   1. In late 1917 the Departments of War and the Navy closed down Storyville, hastening a migration to other cities.
   2. Chicago was a popular choice because:
      1. Riverboat traffic was plentiful and musicians could work on the boats.
      2. Stockyard and steel mill jobs influenced the rapidly growth of the African American population in Chicago.
      3. Prohibition and a flourishing “night life” created jobs for the musicians.
   3. New Orleans musicians initially performed and recorded in the “traditional” manner.  Gradually, however, a more “sophisticated” musical style developed, with larger bands and increasing use of arrangements.  Also, solo performances began to replace collective improvisation.
   4. Joe “King” Oliver
      1. Began playing with brass bands in New Orleans around 1908.
      2. First called “the King” by Kid Ory while playing in his band in 1917.
      3. Moved to Chicago in 1919 to play with Bill Johnson’s Original Creole Orchestra, and started King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band in 1922.
      4. 1923 recordings introduced Louis Armstrong to the world, but the group fell apart in 1924.
      5. Moved to New York; turned down the Cotton Club position in 1927 (which established Duke Ellington’s early fame).
   5. Louis Armstrong
      1. From a poor family, sent to reform school at age 12, where he learned to play cornet.
      2. After his release he took lessons from Oliver, and took Oliver’s place in Kid Ory’s band when Oliver moved to Chicago.
      3. encouraged Armstrong to leave Oliver’s band and pursue his own career.
      4. Played with Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra in New York for 13 months. He also recorded with several blues singers including Bessie Smith.
      5. In 1925 Armstrong moved back to Chicago and made first Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings.
      6. He moved to Los Angeles in 1930 to form Louis Armstrong and his Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra, but he returned to Chicago in 1931.
      7. By the 1940s Armstrongs style of jazz was losing popularity, and Armstrong had no interest in the newer styles. He traveled extensively with an All-Star band during the revival of interest in New Orleans and Dixieland.
      8. In 1963 Armstrong recorded "Hello Dolly," which rated even higher than the Beatles tunes on the charts at the time. In 1968 he recorded another hit, "What A Wonderful World".
      9. Armstrong's health began to fail him and was hospitalized several times over the remaining three years of his life. On July 6th 1971, Armstrong died in his sleep.

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