A Story of Music, Freedom and Style Louis Armstrong (1901–1971), nicknamed “Satchmo”, was one of the most important musicians in the history of jazz and, more broadly, of twentieth-century music. An extraordinary trumpeter, a singer with a raspy and instantly recognizable voice, and a charismatic and innovative performer, he transformed jazz from a collective form of music into an art centered on improvisation and the personality of the individual musician. His life, which began in the extreme poverty of New Orleans, became an exemplary story of redemption through talent. Armstrong was born in a very poor and violent neighborhood of New Orleans. His father abandoned the family early on, and…