Books in First Discovery Music series

This illustrated biography of Louis Armstrong tells the life of the greatest jazz musician and singer of his age, and gives an introduction to his musicBorn in New Orleans in 1901, Louis Armstrong loved the gospel singing he heard every week as a boy in his neighborhood church. He was also inspired by the marching bands and the musicians and singers who celebrated mardi gras in the streets, and performed at funerals and in the many cabarets. The trumpet was his favorite instrument, and he taught himself to play it. From his teenage years on, music was his life. He started as a professional musician playing on the Mississippi river boats before joining various bands. He soon established himself as the best musician of his generation, and at the age of 25 created his own jazz group—the Hot Five. Soon all of America would discover his other extraordinary talent—his unique deep singing voice. The book contains a CD with the narrative of the book and 14 highlights of Louis Armstrong recordings.

Follow Ella’s rise to become a queen of jazz, renowned for her remarkable scat improvisations, but also for her very personal interpretations of the Broadway classics and her live performances with Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong, among others. Each spread recounts a different stage of her life, and key moments are captured by evocative photos from the time and by Rémi Courgeon’s beautiful illustrations. The narrative of the book is recorded on the accompanying CD, as well as 13 of the singer’s most emblematic recordings.