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 Caught in the Carousel - Music Reviews and More
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Getting in Tune, by Roger Trott
Hew, Screw + Glue: How Stuff is Made, by James Innes-Smith
Mingering Mike, by Dori Hadar
New York Dolls, by Bob Gruen
Red Album of Asbury Park, by Alex Austin
Satchmo: The Wonderful World And Art Of Louis Armstrong, by Steven Brower
Stone Roses, by Alex Green
Three Wishes: An Intimate Look At Jazz Greats, by Pannonica de Koenigswarter
The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz
Satchmo: The Wonderful World And Art Of Louis Armstrong
Steven Brower
Harry N. Abrams Books
The Vinyl Princess does not, as a rule, review books but I love Louis Armstrong so I said sure, why the hell not? Louis Armstrong was born on July 4th, 1901, although I noticed that Louis himself says "1900 (odd)." Anyway, he died in 1971 in his quiet home in Queens, New York which is now a tiny museum honoring him. In 1913 he ended up in the Colored Waif's home in New Orleans for firing a gun on New Year's Eve. At the home, Peter Davis taught Armstrong how to play the coronet for the Waif's home band. He left the home in 1914 and went on to become the single greatest artist in the history of American Jazz and American Popular song and he currently boasts the deepest catalogue of any artist ever.
When he wasn't playing his trumpet, Armstrong did a lot of interesting things. One of them was smoking pot, which probably led to his next hobby: making collages with a lot of scotch tape. Satchmo: The Wonderful World And Art Of Louis Armstrong, by award-winning author Steven Brower (Woody Guthrie Artworks) features these collages, made with old photographs, tickets, greeting cards, clippings, old postcards, old album covers and lots and lots of tape. They also feature Armstrong's own handwriting, which makes these pieces very personal. The collages are the type of detailed, intricate and whimsical things that could only have come from someone like Louis Armstrong, whose artistic ability extended well beyond his horn-playing. Supported by the Louis Armstrong House And Archives, this is a fascinating and stirring collection that offers a generous glimpse into Armstrong's artistic psyche. It does a heart good to look at the collages and picture him, joint in hand, thoughtfully assembling these lovely artworks and now they're all here to enjoy in one big fat coffee table book. You should throw some Louis on the stereo and light up a spliff to accompany you while you flip through them. He would most certainly approve.
—The Vinyl Princess
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