Rating: 
Summary: Great reading. A slice of life.
Review: An Extravagant Life is much more than a biography of Louis Armstrong. Having been born at the turn of the century, in New Orleans, this book is a travelogue of that city from a unique perspective (the underside), a history of jazz, a snapshot of race relations and segregation in America for this entire century, AND a rich tapestry of the life of a man who started out with no advantages except his musical gift and a positive attitude. Armstrong was a man of very strong tolerances: alcohol, marijuana, food, women, gansters, laxatives, and music, to name just a few. The essence of Louis is captured in Bergreen's book: We like him, we care for him, we pity him, and we almost understand him. We are definitely fascinated by him.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent read
Review: Fascinating portrait of the first big entertainer to cross the color line in his appeal. Growing up the hard way with a prostitute mother and a stint in a juvi facility, Louie had a colorful youth. His four marriages (one to a former prostitute), extramarital dalliances and penchant for marijuana bely his public image. His life simply makes a great story.
Rating: 
Summary: What an Amazing Life he led
Review: Honestly, I feel like I know everything there is to know about Louis Armstrong. This was a very complete biography. In his early New Orleans years he was practically David Copperfield New Orleans style, that part of the book was particularly interesting. The rest of the book told the story of his life in music and the struggles faces African-Americans in the 21st century. I'm now looking forward to listening to some of the recordings from his early years. Most of what I've heard has come from the twilight of his career as an entertainer. In parts the book was a little dry and long, but stick with it if you want to know the whole story behind SATCHMO.
Rating:
Summary: What an Amazing Life he led
Review: Honestly, I feel like I know everything there is to know about Louis Armstrong. This was a very complete biography. In his early New Orleans years he was practically David Copperfield New Orleans style, that part of the book was particularly interesting. The rest of the book told the story of his life in music and the struggles faces African-Americans in the 21st century. I'm now looking forward to listening to some of the recordings from his early years. Most of what I've heard has come from the twilight of his career as an entertainer. In parts the book was a little dry and long, but stick with it if you want to know the whole story behind SATCHMO.
Rating:
Summary: The best biography on Louis Armstrong, by far
Review: I believe I've read them all and nothing ever written about Louis Armstrong is as detailed as this book. Moreso than the "tired old stories" you see repeated in version after version of other tales of Armstrong, this one actually delves into the personal life as well as the persona of the man. Every Armstong fan needs to read this book - it's an awakening!
Rating:
Summary: This is the one
Review: I've read them all (Louis Armstrong Bio's). Mr. Bergreen got it right. The up's the down's, the trials and tribulations, the known and unknown quirks... the beautiful life of Louis Armstrong. He lived through a tough period in American history. Yet he managed to always remain upbeat, polite and (naturally) highly innovative. This quintessential entertainer of the 20th century was the backbone of what we, today call Jazz. Mr. Louis Armstrong had a few bedeviling idiosyncrasies, but don't we all. His were relatively benign compared to some of his contemporaries. A wonderful read. I can't give it a proper review... you're just going to have to read it!
Rating:
Summary: This is the one
Review: I've read them all (Louis Armstrong Bio's). Mr. Bergreen got it right. The up's the down's, the trials and tribulations, the known and unknown quirks... the beautiful life of Louis Armstrong. He lived through a tough period in American history. Yet he managed to always remain upbeat, polite and (naturally) highly innovative. This quintessential entertainer of the 20th century was the backbone of what we, today call Jazz. Mr. Louis Armstrong had a few bedeviling idiosyncrasies, but don't we all. His were relatively benign compared to some of his contemporaries. A wonderful read. I can't give it a proper review... you're just going to have to read it!
Rating:
Summary: The one jazz book you have to read!
Review: If someone were to ask me to pick one book to read about a jazz musician, this would be it.... and I've read them all!!
Rating:
Summary: Great read...
Review: If you are looking for a discography of Louis Armstrong, don't look to this book. However, if what you want is the life and times of the man - then this is the book for you. Personally, this is what I want in a jazz biography - I'll listen to the CD's or radio for a discography. Mr Bergreen describes in telling detail the early stages of Louis's life in New Orleans - and believe me, it was no paradise! He (Bergreen)is also adept at giving the reader the overall feel of New Orleans at the turn of the century. So at the beginning we get a view of Louis hauling coal to make money for his mother amidst abject poverty and racial discrimination. It is really beyond belief that Louis - at the very bottom of the heap - was able to struggle through this and become an American icon. We are also introduced to a cast of characters that entered or played significantly in Louis's life. None of these people were angels - so in effect they all make for interesting reading. And although Louis is "King of Jazz" he is no saint himself (his 4 wives could attest to that!). This book is a great read - not only if you are interested in the rise to fame of a great African American, but it truly captures the spirit and tough times of that era from New Orleans to Chicago to New York. Kim C.
Rating:
Summary: Louis Armstrong blows, scats, and sings for us all.
Review: Louis Armstrong, An Extravant Life is superb because it recreates the man and his times--and how the man changed his time. Laurence Bergreen details the poverty of Storyville, New Orleans: its honky tonks and violence, and the surprising sustenance a resilent child found there. We see how Louis Armstrong found his family among the white, Jewish Karnovskys, and in the stern Waif's Home where he became a musician. Bergreen shows us the shameful racism of the South (and North), and how Louis' exuberant personality and music helped transcend it. The Armstrong we come to know is humble, humorous, brimming with the energy of jazz itself. We learn how Armstrong invented solos and scat singing, and how his jazz went beyond even music. That is, he mesmerized America with a personality that brought rich and poor, black and white, hip and square together. Armstrong's blowing and singing, his restless amiable spirit, is a bracing ode to being alive. Bergreen's meticulous empathy lets us share the extravagance.
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