





Jazz-z-z...
Even the word jazz sounds a little like the contented purr of a cat. And who could be more feline—more charismatic—than the incomparable Louis Armstrong (Arm-purr-strong), the one and only Satchmo?
He never hesitated to be playful on stage. One moment he would squint like a cat basking in the sunshine while delivering his wonderfully gravelly vocals; the next, his eyes would widen as he launched into another dazzling improvisation on his blazing trumpet.
Louis Armstrong's music reached listeners even behind the Iron Curtain. Soviet cultural officials were surprisingly tolerant of his recordings. After all, they regarded him as a representative of the "oppressed working class"—someone ideologically acceptable. Thanks to that curious twist of history, jazz enthusiasts across the USSR were able to buy official Melodiya records and discover the timeless genius of Satchmo.