Heroes & Villains: David Thomson on Louis Armstrong ; the Writer and Critic (below) on a Jazz Hero Who Changed the World

Thomson, David, The Independent (London, England)

THERE ARE two obvious ways in which the world consents to Louis Armstrong as having been a great man. First of all, he was deeply and flawlessly "lovable". Now, there are a few small hesitations attached to that - I mean lovable in that any observer could feel his unstoppable warmth and humanism. Louis was ready to like you. At the same time, because he was black, that gesture is redolent of a spirit ready to do nearly anything to be liked by the white man. In his time, Louis mugged and hammed; he hit high C's for mere showmanship; he wore animal skins in shameful movies; he could be seen by younger, tougher blacks, like Miles Davis, as an Uncle Tom.

So "lovable" comes …

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Publication information: Article title: Heroes & Villains: David Thomson on Louis Armstrong ; the Writer and Critic (below) on a Jazz Hero Who Changed the World. Contributors: Thomson, David - Author. Newspaper title: The Independent (London, England). Publication date: December 4, 2004. Page number: 94. © 2009 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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