The memory of things gone is important to a jazz musician. Things like old folks singing in the moonlight in the back yard on a hot night or something said long ago.
Louis ArmstrongRead
It's America's classical music ... this becomes our tradition ... the bottom line of any country in the world is what did we contribute to the world? ... we contributed Louis Armstrong
Interpretation
What this quote means
Louis Armstrong highlights the importance of American jazz as a cultural contribution to the world.
This quote reflects Louis Armstrong's pride in jazz music as a significant part of American heritage. He emphasizes that each nation should consider its contributions to global culture, asserting that America’s gift, particularly through the artistry of jazz and influence of musicians like himself, enriches the world and creates a lasting tradition that represents the country’s identity.
Themes
JazzTraditionContributionMusicCultureHeritage
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the influence of American culture, one might reference this quote to emphasize the power of music.
More from Louis Armstrong
All quotes →Making money ain't nothing exciting to me. You might be able to buy a little better booze than the wino on the corner. But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is.
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Very few of the men whose names have become great in the early pioneering of jazz and of swing were trained in music at all. They were born musicians: they felt their music and played by ear and memory. That was the way it was with the great Dixieland Five.
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My whole life, my whole soul, my whole spirit is to blow that horn.
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I've Got the World on a String.
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When I was young and very green, I worte that tune, Sister Kate, and someone said that's fine, let me publish it for you. I'll give you fifty dollars. I didn't know nothing about papers, and business, and I sold it outright.
Louis ArmstrongRead
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