Jazz Listening Essay

The Prompt Is: Analyze, compare, and discuss the musical styles and philosophies of Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke. Discuss their musical backgrounds and influences, as well as the political and/or social conditions that shaped their musical lives. Focus on the “hot jazz” contrast to the “cool, reflective” side of Beiberbecke. Investigate the reasons for Armstrong’s world-wide popularity as opposed to Beiberbecke’s relative obscurity. The Professor wants us to use 4 sources but says that two sources must be from books or journal articles (including jazz magazines like Downbeat or JazzTimes). Web sources must be from official artist sites, reputable news sites, or record labels. Wikipedia, about.com and “fan sites” maintained by fans of the artist are not acceptable sources.