Satchmo! A Tribute to Louis Armstrong
Arr. Ted Ricketts

THE STORY

Growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana in the first decade of the 20th century, Louis Armstrong (nicknamed “Satchmo”) was immersed in the electric formative years of jazz. Armstrong’s big break came in playing trumpet and cornet in “King” Joe Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band in the early 1920s, where he developed an exquisite solo technique that set him apart from his peers. His trumpet playing, paired with his endearing and instantly recognizable singing voice, made Armstrong a force to be reckoned with; he is remembered today as one of America’s most beloved musicians and entertainers.

Ted Ricketts’s arrangement, Satchmo! A Tribute to Louis Armstrong, weaves together four songs made famous by Armstrong: “What a Wonderful World,” “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “St. Louis Blues,” and “Hello, Dolly.” The medley offers a tour of Armstrong’s career, showcasing New Orleans and northern jazz alongside popular songs forever attached to his name. While Armstrong himself didn’t compose these selections, their enduring success belongs almost exclusively to Armstrong’s specific recordings, several of which have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

LISTEN FOR

• The frequent and pronounced use of the trumpet for many of the melodies in the arrangement—a clear homage to Armstrong’s legacy on the instrument

• In “St. Louis Blues,” the use of collective improvisation—an important characteristic of early jazz where multiple instruments solo at the same time

INSTRUMENTATION

Two flutes, oboe, two clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, piano, strings