Louis Armstrong – A Kiss To Build A Dream On (Live At The BBC, 1968)

Louis Armstrong – A Kiss To Build A Dream On (Live At The BBC, 1968)

To speak of Louis Armstrong is to speak of American music itself. He was not merely a gifted performer; he was a revolutionary artist who single-handedly transformed jazz from a collective, folk-based dance music into a sophisticated, soloist’s art form. He was the first great jazz soloist, a virtuoso trumpeter of unparalleled brilliance, a vocalist who invented an entirely new mode of singing, and an entertainer whose infectious joy and profound humanity made him a beloved global icon. Armstrong, known affectionately as “Satchmo” (a contraction of “Satchel Mouth”) or “Pops,” was the foundational figure upon which all subsequent jazz—and indeed, much of popular music—was built.

Biography: From The Colored Waifs’ Home to World Stage

Louis Daniel Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901, into profound poverty in the gritty Back o’ Town section of New Orleans, Louisiana. The date of his birth was long believed to be July 4, 1900, a myth he himself encouraged, but later research confirmed the 1901 date. His father, William Armstrong, abandoned the family shortly after his birth, and his mother, Mayann Armstrong, often left him in the care of his grandmother. Young Louis’s childhood was marked by hard labor, singing for pennies with a quartet of other boys on the streets, and developing a keen awareness of the social hierarchies of the racially stratified Crescent City.

A pivotal moment occurred on New Year’s Eve, 1912, when the young Armstrong fired a stolen pistol into the air. He was arrested and sent to the Colored Waifs’ Home for Boys. This punishment, ironically, became his salvation. Under the discipline of Captain Joseph Jones and the musical instruction of Professor Peter Davis, Armstrong found structure and, most importantly, an instrument. He began on the tambourine and drums, eventually graduating to the bugle and, finally, the cornet. The Home’s band provided him with formal musical training and his first experience performing in structured ensembles. He was released from the Home in 1914 and began to pursue music with a fierce determination, working day jobs while soaking up the sounds of the city.

He found a father figure in one of the city’s premier trumpeters, Joe “King” Oliver. Oliver became Armstrong’s mentor, giving him cornet lessons and invaluable professional advice. When Oliver moved to Chicago in 1919, he recommended Armstrong as his replacement in the top-tier band of trombonist Kid Ory. Armstrong’s reputation in New Orleans grew rapidly; he was soon known as the finest cornetist in town.

In 1922, King Oliver sent for his protégé to join his Creole Jazz Band at Lincoln Gardens in Chicago. This was Armstrong’s first major professional break. Playing second cornet to Oliver, he was introduced to a national audience and made his first recordings with the band in 1923. These recordings, including classics like “Dippermouth Blues,” showcase the revolutionary call-and-response breaks between Oliver and Armstrong, a sound that electrified the jazz world.

In Chicago, Armstrong married the band’s pianist, Lil Hardin, an educated and ambitious woman who recognized his immense talent was being overshadowed by Oliver. She encouraged him to break out on his own. He briefly joined the orchestra of Fletcher Henderson in New York City in 1924, a move that would have seismic repercussions. Though Henderson’s band was a dance orchestra, Armstrong’s revolutionary solos, filled with rhythmic freedom and melodic invention, fundamentally changed the approach of every musician who heard him. He introduced a swing feel and blues-based improvisation to the more formally arranged New York style.

Returning to Chicago in 1925 at Lil’s urging, Armstrong began the most revolutionary period of his career. He began recording under his own name with two legendary groups: the Hot Five and the Hot Seven. These groups, featuring sidemen like Kid Ory, Johnny Dodds, and Lil Hardin Armstrong, were studio ensembles that created the core repertoire of the new “hot jazz.” From 1925 to 1928, they cut a series of records that are the bedrock of the jazz canon.

The late 1920s and 1930s saw Armstrong transition from a cornet to the brighter, more commanding trumpet, and from a bandmember to a frontman. He led various groups, including the large Louis Armstrong and his Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra. His international fame exploded with tours of Europe starting in 1932. By the mid-1930s, he was a major star, but his career was managed by the ruthless mob-connected figure Joe Glaser, who secured lucrative deals but often kept Armstrong in exhausting and sometimes artistically stifling touring cycles.

Armstrong’s career endured for decades. He became a fixture in Hollywood films, a top-selling recording artist with pop hits, and a globetrotting “Ambassador of Jazz” for the U.S. State Department. He weathered criticism from younger jazz musicians and some in the Black community who saw his wide-eyed, handkerchief-wielding stage persona as “Uncle Tom”-ish, a complex issue given his quiet but firm stance on civil rights, such as his very public criticism of Eisenhower’s inaction during the Little Rock Nine crisis. Louis Armstrong worked relentlessly, beloved by global audiences, until his health failed. He died in his sleep on July 6, 1971, at his home in Corona, Queens, New York, just over a month before his 70th birthday.

Music Style and Improvisational Genius

Armstrong’s style was a cataclysmic force in music. Before him, jazz improvisation was largely based on embellishing the melody or playing variations on the underlying harmonies in a collective, polyphonic style. Armstrong introduced the concept of the virtuosic, extended solo.

The Trumpet Style: His trumpet playing was characterized by:

• Tone: A huge, warm, sparkling, and instantly recognizable tone that could project over any ensemble without sounding forced.
• Technique: A stunning command of the instrument’s upper register (high notes), which he used for dramatic climaxes, and a flawless technique that allowed for breathtakingly fluid and complex passages.
• Swing Feel: Armstrong didn’t just play notes; he swung them. He perfected a relaxed, behind-the-beat rhythmic sense that gave his music an irresistible forward momentum and groove. He essentially codified the concept of “swing” for all musicians who followed.
• Melodic Invention: His solos were not just technical exercises; they were masterpieces of melodic construction. He possessed an unparalleled ability to create new, logical, and breathtakingly beautiful melodies on the spot over the chord changes of a song.

The Vocal Style: Armstrong was equally revolutionary as a singer. He possessed a rough, gravelly baritone that was the antithesis of the crooning tenors popular at the time. He:

• Popularized Scat Singing: While not the absolute inventor, Armstrong’s 1926 recording of “Heebie Jeebies,” where he allegedly dropped the sheet music and began singing nonsense syllables, introduced scat singing to the world. He used his voice like a horn, improvising complex, rhythmic lines.
• Phrasing and Rhythm: He applied his instrumental concepts of swing and melodic improvisation to his singing. He would lag behind the beat, rush ahead of it, and reshape melodies with a conversational freedom that influenced every pop and jazz singer from Bing Crosby to Billie Holiday to Frank Sinatra.
• Emotional Authenticity: Whether singing a joyous novelty number or a heart-wrenching ballad, Armstrong’s voice conveyed a deep, palpable humanity. He didn’t just sing the words; he embodied the story.

Improvisational Licks and Vocabulary: Armstrong’s improvisational language became the fundamental dictionary of jazz. His licks and phrases were studied and absorbed by every horn player who followed. Some key elements include:

• The Armstrong Lead: His approach to leading an ensemble, playing a strong, embellished melody high above the band, became the standard for big band trumpet sections.
• Triadic and Arpeggio-Based Lines: He often constructed solos by creatively arpeggiating the underlying chords (e.g., the famous opening cadenza on “West End Blues”).
• Blues Inflection: The raw language of the New Orleans blues—bent notes, growls, and slurs—was always present in his playing, giving it emotional weight and authenticity.
• Sequential Patterns: He would take a short melodic idea and repeat it at different pitch levels, creating a sense of logical development and building excitement.
• Dramatic Architecture: His solos were miniature stories. They often began simply, built in intensity through the use of higher notes and more complex rhythms, and culminated in a thrilling, often high-note climax before resolving. His solo on “Potato Head Blues” is a perfect example of this narrative structure.

Cooperation with Other Artists

Throughout his career, Armstrong was a generous and influential collaborator.

• King Oliver: His mentor and first major professional connection.
• Earl “Fatha” Hines: His most important pianistic collaborator. Their 1928 recordings, like “Weather Bird,” are duets of breathtaking equals, showcasing revolutionary “trumpet-style” piano playing from Hines that matched Armstrong’s brilliance note-for-note.
• Bing Crosby: Their friendship and musical collaborations in the 1930s broke racial barriers in entertainment. Hits like “Gone Fishin’” showcased their easygoing chemistry and demonstrated how Armstrong’s rhythmic concepts had directly influenced Crosby’s seminal crooning style.
• Ella Fitzgerald: Their three album-length songbook collaborations for Verve Records (featuring the music of Gershwin, Porter, and Berlin) in the 1950s are among the most beloved in the American canon. The contrast between Fitzgerald’s pristine, virtuosic voice and Armstrong’s gritty, conversational growl was magical.
• All-Stars: From 1947 until the end of his life, Armstrong led a small, touring group called the All-Stars. It featured a rotating cast of jazz legends, including trombonist Jack Teagarden, clarinetist Barney Bigard, drummer Sid Catlett, and pianist Earl Hines. This format allowed him to return to his small-group Dixieland roots while showcasing his star power.

Chord Progressions and Music Harmony

Armstrong was not an academic theorist; he was an intuitive harmonic genius. His era was defined by the chord progressions of Tin Pan Alley pop songs and the 12-bar blues.

• The Blues: He mastered the 12-bar blues form, using its simple, three-chord structure (I-IV-V) as a canvas for profound melodic and emotional expression. Recordings like “West End Blues” and “Gut Bucket Blues” elevated the blues to high art.
• Popular Song Forms: He excelled at interpreting the 32-bar AABA song form that dominated American popular music. On standards like “Body and Soul” or “Star Dust,” Armstrong would first play a relatively straight, but deeply felt, rendition of the melody (the “head”). His subsequent choruses would then deconstruct and rebuild the song, superimposing new, more rhythmically complex and harmonically sophisticated melodies over the existing chord changes.
• Harmonic Innovation: While he worked within existing structures, his choice of notes and his rhythmic placement often created sophisticated passing chords and implied harmonies. He had an uncanny ability to highlight the most colorful notes of a chord (the 3rd, 7th, and 9th), making simple progressions sound rich and complex. His improvisations were so melodically strong that they often became new compositions in their own right, inspiring composers and arrangers.

Influences and Legacy

Influences on Armstrong: King Oliver (for cornet style and phrasing), Bunk Johnson, Freddie Keppard, and the collective sound of New Orleans brass bands and funeral processions. He was also influenced by the operatic recordings of Enrico Caruso, from whom he learned about tone and dramatic presentation.

Armstrong’s Legacy: It is impossible to overstate. He is the single most important figure in jazz history.

• For Musicians: He established the template for the jazz soloist. Every trumpeter—from Roy Eldridge to Dizzy Gillespie to Miles Davis to Wynton Marsalis—exists in his shadow. His rhythmic concept defined “swing.” His vocal style influenced Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, and every pop and jazz singer after him.
• For American Culture: He was one of the first truly world-famous African American entertainers. He broke down racial barriers through the universal language of his music. His charismatic personality and recordings helped make jazz a global phenomenon.
• For Popular Music: He revolutionized popular singing by introducing rhythmic flexibility, melodic improvisation (scat), and a premium on personal expression over pure tonal beauty. Modern popular music, from rock and roll to hip-hop, owes a debt to the freedom and individuality Armstrong pioneered.

Works, Filmography, and Most Known Compositions

Most Famous Compositions and Performances:
While Armstrong was a brilliant interpreter rather than a prolific composer, he is credited as co-writer on several jazz standards:

• “West End Blues” (1928) – His performance with the Hot Five is arguably the most famous in jazz history, opening with an unaccompanied cadenza of staggering originality.
• “Potato Head Blues” (1927) – Features a legendary stop-time solo that is a masterclass in architectural construction.
• “Weather Bird” (1928) – The iconic duet with Earl Hines.
• “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue” (1927) – A classic Hot Five number showcasing the New Orleans ensemble style.
• “Hotter Than That” (1927) – Features brilliant call-and-response with Lonnie Johnson on guitar and incredible scat singing.
• “Heebie Jeebies” (1926) – The record that popularized scat singing.
• “What a Wonderful World” (1967) – His late-career #1 hit, a ballad whose optimistic message became his final anthem.
• “Hello, Dolly!” (1964) – Knocked The Beatles off the top of the Billboard charts, making the 62-year-old Armstrong the oldest artist to have a #1 hit.
• “Mack the Knife” (from “The Threepenny Opera”) – His swinging version from the 1950s became a massive hit.
• “When the Saints Go Marching In” – His version is the definitive one, forever linking the song to New Orleans.

Filmography (Select):
Armstrong appeared in over 30 films, often relegated to stereotypical roles but always stealing the show with his musical performances.

• Pennies from Heaven (1936)
• Artists & Models (1937)
• Going Places (1938) – Sang “Jeepers Creepers”
• Cabin in the Sky (1943)
• New Orleans (1947)
• The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
• High Society (1956) – With Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra; performed “Now You Has Jazz”
• The Five Pennies (1959) – Performed a memorable duet of “When the Saints Go Marching In” with Danny Kaye.
• Hello, Dolly! (1969) – Performed the title song with Barbra Streisand.

Discography (Key Recordings and Eras):

• 1923: The King Oliver Creole Jazz Band recordings (Gennett, Okeh)
• 1925-1928: The Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings (Okeh) – The most important body of work in jazz history. Essential listening.
• 1929: His first big band recordings, including “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (from the Broadway show Connie’s Hot Chocolates).
• 1930s: Recordings with the Luis Russell Orchestra and others for Victor and Okeh, including popular hits of the day.
• 1940s: Leading his big band, then forming the first All-Stars group in 1947.
• 1950s-1960s: The prolific late-career renaissance for Columbia, Verve, and RCA Victor. This includes:
  • The Ella Fitzgerald Songbook albums (Verve)
  • Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (Columbia, 1954)
  • Satch Plays Fats (A tribute to Fats Waller, Columbia, 1955)
  • Ambassador Satch (Columbia, 1955) – Recorded live in Europe.
  • Louis Armstrong Meets Oscar Peterson (Verve, 1957)
  • What a Wonderful World (single, ABC Records, 1967)

Louis Armstrong: The Enduring Wonder

Louis Armstrong’s legacy is a complex and profound tapestry of artistic innovation, cultural triumph, and human warmth. He took the raw, regional sounds of New Orleans and refined them into a universal art of incredible sophistication and emotional depth. He was the first true genius of jazz, and his innovations in rhythm, melody, harmony, and improvisation became the DNA of the entire genre.

Beyond the technical mastery, it was his spirit that captivated the world. His trumpet could express boundless joy or profound sorrow. His smile and handkerchief were not symbols of submission, but weapons of mass connection, disarming prejudice and uniting audiences across all divides. He lived the message of his greatest hit: he found and created wonder in a world that often gave him reasons to see otherwise. Louis Armstrong was more than a musician; he was one of the 20th century’s most significant and beloved artists, and his voice—both on horn and in song—continues to speak the foundational truth of jazz: freedom, individuality, and soul.

Lyrics:

Give me a kiss to build a dream on
And my imagination will thrive upon that kiss
Sweetheart, I ask no more than this
A kiss to build a dream on

Give me a kiss before you leave me
And my imagination will feed my hungry heart
Leave me one thing before we part
A kiss to build a dream on

And when I’m alone with my fancies, I’ll be with you
Weaving romances, making believe they’re true

Oh, give me your lips for just a moment
And my imagination will make that moment live
Give me what you alone can give
A kiss to build a dream on

When I’m alone with my fancies, I’ll be with you
Weaving romances, making believe they’re true

Oh, give me lips for just a moment
And my imagination will make that moment live
Oh, give me what you alone can give
A kiss to build a dream on

Search your favorite sheet music in the category of Jazz, Blues, Soul, & Gospel.

“A Kiss to Build a Dream On”

“A Kiss to Build a Dream On” is one of Louis Armstrong’s most enduring and charming late-career hits, a song that perfectly encapsulates his ability to blend jazz sensibility with warm, popular appeal. It stands as a testament to his timeless artistry.

Origins and History: From Obscurity to Stardom

The song’s history is almost as interesting as its performance.

• The Composers: “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” was written by the legendary songwriting team of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. This pedigree alone places it in the upper echelon of American popular songwriting.
• A Forgotten Film Debut: The song was originally written for the 1935 film The Knights of the Round Table, a forgotten musical comedy starring the Marx Brothers. However, it was unceremoniously cut from the final film and remained an obscure publishing catalog entry for over a decade.
• Rediscovery: In 1951, the song was rediscovered and included in the film The Strip, starring Mickey Rooney. The producers needed a musical number and chose this forgotten tune. They tasked Louis Armstrong and His All-Stars with performing it in the film. Armstrong appears in a nightclub scene, performing the song with his band, and it immediately became the standout moment of the movie.

Armstrong’s Recording and Musical Analysis

Armstrong’s recording for Decca Records, made around the same time as the film’s production, became the definitive version and a major hit.

1. The Vocal Performance:
This is where Armstrong’s genius is most palpable. He doesn’t just sing the lyrics; he embodies them with a warm, conversational, and utterly sincere intimacy.

• Gravelly Tenderness: His iconic gravelly voice, often used for comedic or powerful effects, is here employed with incredible tenderness. It feels like a wise, kind friend offering romantic advice.
• Phrasing and Swing: He masterfully swings the melody, lagging behind the beat and playing with the rhythms in a way that no other singer of the era would dare. Lines like “Give me a kiss to build a dream on” are delivered not with a crooner’s smoothness, but with a jazzer’s sense of rhythm, making it feel both heartfelt and effortless.
• Emotional Authenticity: Armstrong sells the dreamy, optimistic fantasy of the lyrics. You believe every word. When he sings “And my imagination will thrive upon that kiss,” it’s not a theatrical gesture; it feels like a genuine confession.

2. The Trumpet Solo:
The recording features a classic, melodically sublime Armstrong trumpet break. It’s not a technically flashy, high-note solo from his younger years, but rather a perfectly constructed melodic statement that reflects the song’s mood. It’s warm, lyrical, and sings just as effectively as his voice, serving as the instrumental heart of the song.

3. The Arrangement:
The arrangement by Jack Pleis for the All-Stars is perfectly suited. It features:

• A gentle, swaying rhythm section that evokes a dreamy, late-night atmosphere.
• A lovely, soft background choir that responds to Armstrong’s lines, adding a touch of sweet, traditional pop sensibility without overpowering him.
• A balance between the small-combo jazz feel of the All-Stars and a more commercial, orchestrated sound, making it accessible to a wide audience.

Legacy and Impact

• Chart Success: Armstrong’s single was a significant hit, reaching high on the pop charts in 1951. It proved that even as musical tastes shifted towards rock and roll and cool jazz, Armstrong’s unique style still had massive popular appeal.
• Cultural Permanence: The song’s popularity never truly faded. It has been featured in dozens of films, TV shows, and commercials, often used to instantly evoke a sense of nostalgic romance, warmth, and classic Americana. Notable uses include the closing credits of the 1993 video game Fallout (and its sequels), and films like Sleepless in Seattle and Awakenings.
• Cover Versions: The song has been covered by a vast array of artists across genres, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Brenda Lee, and even a rock-inspired version by The Once. However, almost all covers pay homage to Armstrong’s definitive interpretation; his is the blueprint.
• An Icon of Optimism: Alongside “What a Wonderful World,” “A Kiss to Build a Dream On” became one of the primary songs that defined Armstrong’s late-career persona: the wise, joyful, and optimistic uncle of American music. It’s a song that argues for love and dreams as the fundamental building blocks of life, a message Armstrong delivered with unparalleled credibility.

“A Kiss to Build a Dream On” is far more than a pleasant pop standard. It is a masterclass in interpretation from one of the 20th century’s greatest artists. Louis Armstrong took a forgotten song from a mediocre film and, through the alchemy of his unique talent—his rhythmic genius, his emotional honesty, and the profound warmth of his sound—transformed it into an everlasting anthem of romance and optimism. It is a perfect example of how Armstrong could take any material and imbue it with such humanity and swing that it would become irrevocably and uniquely his own.

Browse in the Library:

Or browse in the categories menus & download the Library Catalog PDF: