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MN: So Mr. Armstrong, can you tell us a little about your self?

LA: Well, I was born on July 4, 1900 in New Orleans,Louisianain a poorer part of town. I was mostly a poor

old boy back then, and my dad left me young. So I spent time with my mama and grandma and sometimes my

ol Uncle Isaac. They were all real influential and all in my life. I went to the Fisk School, though I didnt like it

there much. I did some odd jobs and scavenging, you know, the poor kids jobs. You could say Im a little rags

to riches story. But that damn school did one thing for me, man I was listening to music, and I got hooked. Igot so hooked I went over to go see Joe Oliver out in the red light district of New Orleans, Storyville.Yeah, I

dropped out of Fisk when I was eleven, didnt like it much. So I went on the streets my parents didnt care.

MN: How influential was Joe Oliver on your playing?

LA: Oh man! I cant even start to describe how important Joe King Oliver was to me. That man taught me

how to play by ear. You know what that means?

MN: Well I do, but for our readers could you explain it a little bit?

LA: Ahh of course! Well, listening and playing by ear is what made me all famous. Its called improvisation,boys and girls. It means go find a tune that you like to hear and just play. It dont matter what notes come out,

just play. Thats what I do. You dont need to hit those high notes like me. Anybody can do it! Just pick up any

instrument, cornet, trumpet, alto sax, bari sax, soprano sax, and just hit it!

MN: So King got you started on playing by ear? How about living? Werent you a bit underfunded?

LA: *laughs* Yeah, Im thankful to a lot of people that got me here today. Well a big shoutout goes to the

Karnofskys. They literally saved my life. They had a junk hauling business and gave me some odd jobs. They

took me in off the streets man, and they treated me like a son. Even though all those other white folks, pardon

me, I dont want to be racist, but its true, all those other white folks thought that they were better than theJewish race. I was only seven at the time, but I could see pretty well the short shaft that other folks were giving

the Karnofskys. See here? This a Star of David, in memory of those great people.

MN: So we know how got grew up, but howd you learn to play so well?

LA: You know, I wasnt the best child growing up. I was a little rambunctious, still am. But in the band of the

New Orleans Home for Colored Waifs, I was sent there quite a bit, there was an old man named Professor Peter

Davis, he came by often and such. Well he was good at cracking the whip at us rowdy ones, and gave me a little

bit of advice about playin. Yeah from there I got a job at a dance hall back in Storyville and I had my first gig.

MN: What happened from there?

LA: Well in 1918, I married Daisy, Daisy Parker and we adopted a 3-year-old boy, Clarence Armstrong, my

cousin Floras. She died pretty quick after Clarence was born. Hes not right in the head, because of a bump he

had when he was young, but hes fourteen now, and I love him. Yeah well, I got divorced from Daisy after a

while, and then she died. But bygones be bygones. So I got a job on a riverboat, and man I learned so much

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there. When I was twenty I could actually read paper music and I started to do some long solos. I was one of the

first jazzmen to do such long solos, but they were damn fun. I gave it a little bit of my own jazz, my own

personality and style. In 22, I and a bunch of other jazz players moved out to Chicago. Again, it was Joe Oliver

that brought me there. He wanted me to join his Creole Jazz Band where I could make some money and stop

having to work those odd jobs. There was a lot of opportunity in Chicago, I was glad I went there. Well our

band was, in my opinion, one of the best jazz bands in Chicago. Man, I had so much money I had my own

bathroom! I had never had that before. I lived like a king. But people wanted to beat me, so I got into a couple

playing challenges. I made my first albums back then in 23, it was nice. Big solos, long breaks, but good music.

And I still played with Oliver, I loved being with him. He was a father figure to me almost. Around then,

though, I metHoagy Carmichael. Around then I also got married to the love of my life, Lil Hardin. Man, can

she play that piano!

MN: Has Lil been a big influence to you in your playing style or personality?

LA: *laughs again* Shes my wife! Because of her I left Olivers band and moved to New York, where I played

with Fletcher Henderson. I played some recordings, but I got bored pretty easily, so Lil and I moved back to

Chicago. I played in some big orchestras and I recorded some more. But again Lil made me change. She made

me play classical music in church concerts! I told her she was insane, but it helped me improve my solo play.

She also got me to wear a little better clothes. You know how women are about clothes. *laughs* Yeah but Lil

also made some differences between Oliver and I, mostly over some money he didnt pay any of us in the band.

But we said our goodbyes and I havent talked to him since. Well, shortly afterward, I got invited to go back to

New York City to play with Fletcher Hendersons orchestra. He was leading the top African-American band of

the day. Because of that, I switched to trumpet. Man biggest decision of my life. But I wanted to sound good

with the orchestra, so I switched.

MN: Was Henderson big to you?

LA:Well, he was a lot harsher than ol Oliver, but I think we got along well. I soloed a lot more and all, it was a

pretty nice gig. We were playing for all those white-only places, like the Roseland Ballroom. Duke Ellington

came out to watch us one day i was so surprised.

MN: What made you go back to Chicago?

LA: It was Lil again. She wanted me to get more famous, but I would comfortable. The problem was I couldnt

create, I couldnt improvise like I wanted to. At first I was part of the Lil Hardin Armstrong Band, my wifes

band.I did some solo stuff on the side, like with piano master Earl "Fatha" Hines in most famously their

1928 Weatherbirdduet. But Lil and I broke up, man I was so heartbroken. But I went back to playing again. I

joined a band and it got renamedLouis Armstrong and his Stompers, with Earl Hines back at the piano. We

became fast friends and also pretty successful together.

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MN: So you recently moved back to New York?

LA: Yeah, with Lil gone I liked it better than Chicago. And well, Im there today. As a matter of fact Im playing

in the pit orchestra of theHot Chocolate the musical.

MN: Thank you so much, Mr. Armstrong.

LA: Not a problem.