Louis Armstrong and the Development of Modern Trumpet Style

Jazz musician Louis Armstrong was one of the most famous trumpeters of the 20th Century, perhaps of all time. His prolific career, spanning across five decades, impacts many facets of music to this day, from pop singing to jazz improvisation. One area that is underexplored is the extent to which Armstrong invented modern trumpet playing as we know it. Once Armstrong switched from the cornet to trumpet, he began exploring and demonstrating what was possible on the instrument - its clear, percussive articulations; its manipulability; its resonant, commanding tone; its upper register. Through his live performances and recordings in the late 1920s and 30s, he became the modern trumpet&rsquo;s first major voice, expanding its role from that of an auxiliary orchestral instrument into a soloist&rsquo;s instrument, and popularized it in modern music. By examining the trumpet&rsquo;s history preceding Armstrong&rsquo;s career, his career itself, his approach to the trumpet (the &ldquo;Armstrong Style&rdquo;), and his influence on generations thereafter, we can see how Armstrong&rsquo;s approach to the instrument changed the very nature of modern trumpet playing.&nbsp;</p