American trumpeter and singer from New Orleans. Through recordings such as those of the Hot Five in the 1920s, he established the improvised solo and turned jazz from collective improvisation into a soloist's music. He is also known for his gravelly voice and scat singing.
Recommended recordings
West End Blues (Louis Armstrong) (1928, Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five / Okeh): Louis Armstrong's recording that changed the history of solo improvisation, famous for its unaccompanied trumpet cadenza that opens the piece.
St. Louis Blues (W. C. Handy) (1954, Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy / Columbia): From the album dedicated to the composer W.C. Handy. Armstrong sings the blues classic in the language of jazz.