Louis Armstong Historian Speaks on Impact, Legacy of Famed Jazz Musician

Toms River resident Ricky Riccardi just may know more about Louis Armstrong than anyone in the entire state of New Jersey, and recently he compiled all his knowledge into a book he presented at the Howell on Tuesday evening, entitled “What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years.”

He presented his book in front of nearly 50 members of the local community on Tuesday evening, noting a lot of research and work went into the making of this biography on the music legend.

Mr. Riccardi, 30, has been a fan of Louis Armstrong for most of his life, having studied the musician and his work at Rutgers University in Newark. Once he graduated, he took a job as the archivist at the Louis Armstrong House Museum, located in the Corona Park section of Queens.

Mr. Riccardi began by noting he fell in love with Armstrong’s music 15 years ago when he saw the film, “The Glenn Miller Story.”

“As soon as I saw that, I told my mom I had to go to the Ocean County Library and pick out one of his albums,” Mr. Riccardi recalled. “I took out his CD called ’16 Most Requested Songs,’ and after listening, something just clicked.”

He explained to the audience that while studying Armstrong at Rutgers, and working at the museum, he noticed many people praised Armstrong's early career, but neglected to mention his important work later on in life.

“Many people talk about his early years in life, but for me it was later in life when he became the man he was known for,” he said, adding he learned many people disliked Armstrong in his later years because they thought he “sold out,” and was too “entertaining.”

“There was a shift in perception that he went too commercial later on in life, and my goal is to take all of the slings and arrows thrown at Louis Armstrong and remove them one by one,” he explained.

Mr. Riccadi noted many people think of Louis Armstrong as a serious musician from the Roaring Twenties, but there was a whole different side to him as a fun-loving entertainer later on in his life.

“People think that he smiled too much and relied too heavily on being an entertainer later on in life,” he said. “However I believe his showmanship and humor won most of his audiences over.

He then added that it was  “pointless,” to have a discussion of Louis Armstrong without playing his music, so he played a track from later on in his life called “King of the Zulus,” for the audience to enjoy.

Another unique recording Mr. Riccardi played for the audience was that of Louis Armstrong talking about his dealings with racism.

“Lucky for us, Louis always kept a reel to reel tape he recorded on,” Mr. Riccardi said. “He would often discuss race, and you could tell that he wouldn’t stand being disrespected because of the color of his skin.”

He concluded by saying he was hopeful this book would change the overall perception of Louis Armstrong, and would inspire a whole new generation to enjoy his style of music.

“It’s about forty years since he has gone, and I think now he is finally getting the respect he deserves,” Mr. Riccardi said. 

The book, “What a Wonderful World: The Magic of Louis Armstrong’s Later Years,” is available at the Howell Township Barnes and Noble, located at 4831 Route 9 North.