Lil Hardin Armstrong, Early Jazz Instrumentalist

Lil Hardin Armstrong (February 3, 1898–August 27, 1971) was a jazz pianist, the first major female jazz instrumentalist, who played with the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band and Louis Armstrongs Hot Five and Hot Seven bands. She also wrote or co-wrote many jazz songs and fronted several of her own bands in the 1920s and 1930s. Fast Facts: Lil Hardin Armstrong Known For: First major woman jazz instrumentalist, pianist, and songwriter married to Louis ArmstrongBorn: February 3, 1898 in Memphis, TennesseeParents: Dempsey Martin Hardin and William HardinDied: August 27, 1971 in Chicago, IllinoisEducation: Fisk Preparatory School in Nashville (1917), Chicago College of Music (BA, 1928), New York School of Music (post-grad, 1930)Credited Songs: Im Gonna Gitcha, Hotter than That, Knee Drops  Spouse(s): Jimmy Johnson (m. 1920–1924), Louis Armstrong (m. 1924–1938)Children: None Early Life Lil Hardin Armstrong was born Lillian Beatrice Hardin, in Memphis, Tennessee, on February 3, 1898, to Dempsey Martin Hardin and William Hardin. Dempsey was one of 13 children of a woman born into slavery; but she only had two children, one who died at birth, and Lillian. Her parents separated when Hardin was quite young and she lived in a boarding house with her mother, who cooked for a white family. She studied piano and organ and played in church from a young age. Growing up, she lived near Beale Street and was early attracted to the blues, but her mother opposed such music. Her mother used her savings to send her daughter to Nashville to study at the preparatory school at  Fisk University for a year (1915–1916) for classical music training and a good environment. To keep her from the local music scene when she returned in 1917, her mother moved to Chicago and took Lil with her. Jazz and Jelly Roll In Chicago, Lil Hardin took a job on South State Street demonstrating music at Jones Music Store. There, she met and learned from Jelly Roll Morton, who played ragtime music on the piano. Hardin  began finding jobs playing with bands while continuing to work in the store, which afforded her the luxury of access to sheet music. She became known as Hot Miss Lil. Her mother decided to accept her new career, though she reportedly picked up her daughter promptly after performances to protect her from the evils of the music world. In 1918, she achieved some recognition as house pianist working with Lawrence Duhà © and  the New Orleans Creole Jazz Band, and in 1920, when King Oliver took it over and renamed it the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band, Lil Hardin stayed around as it gained popularity. Sometime between 1918 and 1920, she married singer Jimmy Johnson. Traveling with King Olivers band strained the marriage, and so she left the band to return to Chicago and the marriage. When the King Oliver Creole Jazz Band also returned to its Chicago base, Lil Hardin was invited to rejoin the band. Also invited to join the band, in 1922: a young cornet player named Louis Armstrong. Louis Armstrong Though Louis Armstrong and Lil Hardin became friends, she was still married to Jimmy Johnson. Hardin was unimpressed with Armstrong at first, but when she divorced Johnson, she helped Louis Armstrong divorce his first wife Daisy and they began dating. After two years, they married in 1924. She helped him learn to dress more appropriately for big-city audiences and convinced him to change his hairstyle into one that would be more attractive. Because King Oliver played lead cornet in the band, Louis Armstrong played second and so Lil Hardin Armstrong began to advocate for her new husband to move on. In 1924, she persuaded him to move to New York and join Fletcher Henderson. Lil Hardin Armstrong didnt find work herself in New York, and so she returned to Chicago, where she put together a band at the Dreamland to feature Louis playing. He also returned to Chicago. In 1925, Louis Armstrong recorded with the Hot Fives orchestra, followed by another the next year. Lil Hardin Armstrong played piano for all the Hot Fives and Hot Sevens recordings. The piano at that time in jazz was primarily a percussion instrument, establishing beat and playing chords so that other instruments could play more creatively; Lil Hardin Armstrong excelled at this style. Louis Armstrong was often unfaithful and Lil Hardin Armstrong was often jealous, but they continued to record together even as their marriage was strained and they often spent time apart. She served as his manager as he continued to become more famous. Lil Hardin Armstrong returned to her study of music, obtaining a teaching diploma from the Chicago College of Music in 1928, and she bought a large home in Chicago and a lakeside cottage retreat—perhaps meant to entice Louis to spend some time with her instead of his other women. Lil Hardin Armstrongs Bands Lil Hardin Armstrong formed several bands—some all-female, some all-male—in Chicago and in Buffalo, New York. She went back to school again and earned a post-graduate degree at the New York College of Music, and then returned once more to Chicago and tried her luck as a singer and songwriter. In 1938 she divorced Louis Armstrong, winning a financial settlement and keeping her properties, as well as gaining rights to the songs that they had co-composed. How much of the composition of those songs was actually Lil Armstrongs and how much Louis Armstrong contributed remains a matter of dispute. Legacy and Death Lil Hardin Armstrong turned away from music and began working as a clothing designer (Louis was a customer), a restaurant owner, and then music and French teacher. In the 1950s and 1960s, she occasionally performed and recorded. On July 6, 1971, Louis Armstrong died. Seven weeks later on August 27, Lil Hardin Armstrong was playing at a memorial concert for her ex-husband when she suffered a massive coronary and died. While Lil Hardin Armstrongs career was nowhere near as successful as her husbands, she was the first major woman jazz instrumentalist whose career had any significant duration. Sources Dickerson, James L. Just for a Thrill: Lil Hardin Armstrong, First Lady of Jazz. New York; Cooper Square Press, 2002.Louis Armstrongs 2d Wife, Lil Hardin, Dies at a Tribute. The New York Times, August 27, 1971.  Sohmer, Jack. Lil Armstrong. Harlem Renaissance: Lives from the African American National Biography. Eds. Gates Jr., Henry Louis and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2009. 15–17.

Tsa Should Use Full Body Scanners - 1487 Words

After the devastating terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11th, TSA (Transportation Security Administration) was created and have since then beefed up their security. Because of all the new security devices and rules taking place now, the wait time at in the security line is longer, but for a good reason. On an average day, TSA screens 1.1 million bags. Of those 1.1 million bags, around 50,000 of them have to be checked thoroughly due to suspicious items inside the bags. The wait time at airport security lines has increased because of new threats. Because of an increase in the wait time at the security line, some people find it very frustrating and think that all the precautions are unnecessary. Those people are wrong though. In the past years since TSA was created, multiple bomber attacks have been attempted but have yet to succeed due to TSA keeping up with its safety requirements. In 2010, TSA started to use full body scanners. Some people are uncomfortable with the idea that when going through the body scanners, they are almost viewed completely naked and worry that those photos will be leaked. In Emily Holbrook’s article, Airport Security: privacy vs. safety, she makes an interesting pint when it comes to body scanners by quoting Rep. Jason Chaffetz, who said, ‘† you don’t need to look at my wife and 8-year-old daughter naked in order to secure that airplane†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (quoted in QTD. Holbrook 14). This is an issue that has been brought to many people when goingShow MoreRelatedEthical Analysis Of American And Israeli Airport Security1591 Words   |  7 PagesAdministration (TSA) was established to ensure the safety and security of US airports. Travelers voiced concerns and complaints over the heightened security measures, arguing that they invade privacy and are unethical. On the other hand, Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport takes a very different approach to tackle terrorism in airports. 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Breaking Through free essay sample

The passing of power As we age and grow older we like to think we gain or learn something; In â€Å"Breaking Through†, Francisco Jimenez’s book, Francisco gains power in the household along with his brother, Roberto. We really start to see the loss of power from the father because he is unable to support his family. His father soon becomes depressed and starts to hide. Francisco gets some of his direction and influence when it comes to fighting his father’s authority and power in the household from the American culture. We see Roberto as a much more quiet obeying son where Francisco was just young enough he was able to absorb the American ways and let go of his traditional cultural ways of obeying one’s parents. As we see Francisco ultimately break through in finding his identity, we begin to see him question his father’s position and beliefs. We first see signs off of power passing, when the father starts to become unable to support the family. The father has to depend on the brothers to support the family and this causes him to become depressed. He states,‘But it won’t be until the end of next week, when Roberto gets paid,’ Papa added, biting his lower lip. † (Pg81. ) He grudgly admits that he needs Roberto to pay for things, this is one of the first incidences where power has been passed from father to son. ‘Don’t think just because you give me your paychecks that you can do whatever you want,’ â€Å"he said firmly. † (Pg88. ) The jobs that Francisco and Roberto have is what start the power change as they become the sole providers for their family. Their father sees this and tries hard to hold onto the power of authority, but as Francisco grows and gains more independence he starts to question this. Jimenez starts off in the book as a young boy, always obeying his father and his wishes because this was how he was raised. â€Å"I did not want to miss more school. I wanted to tell Papa that I did not like his idea, but I did not say anything. † (Pg14. ) He culture was ingrained in him and his brother that one’s parent’s must never be talked back to and always knew best. As time goes on we start to see a change in Francisco he is able absorb American culture. Jimenez starts to work and to school, its through this experiences that he gains power and knowledge. American culture is telling him it’s okay to talk back to one’s parents where in his own upbringing his father’s authority had never been questioned. He states, ‘But we’re only a few minutes late,’ I said, recalling the discussion we had in Mrs. Taylor’s class about the film in which a boy argues with his father. ’ (Pg88. We start to see this slide in power as Jimenez questions his father. Jimenez is starting to take on more American ways and we see this difference clearly in how Roberto still obeys his father without question. â€Å"I think I understand, Mama. But what about my dream? †. (Pg170). Jimenez gains power through finding himself and putting his wants first. He starts to think about his dreams over what his father has almost predicated for him. The American culture allowed him to have a dream instead just being what his father wanted him to be. He wanted to make his father proud, but when it came to his dream he was willing to fight for it. The difference in the cultures plays a monumental role in how conflicted Francisco is. When it comes to questioning his father, he was raised that this was wrong yet he is learning through American culture that children here are more free willed. We see a difference in the brothers mainly due to age, Roberto was much older when he first came to the U. S. so wasn’t able to take in the culture like Francisco. ‘Papa, Darlene and I are getting engaged and we want your blessing. (Pg172). Roberto doesn’t have to ask for permission to get married and in America a male wouldn’t ask his parents. He is very much traditional and we see him really try to encourage at times Francisco to remember his roots for instance, â€Å"Roberto glanced at me with terror in his eyes and nudged me with his elbow. I knew I had crossed the line. † (Pg54). Francisco on the other hand is just young enough that he was able to become more outgoing and take on the American culture. Francisco comes into his own person while trying to balance what he was raised to believe. He starts to get knowledge and through that comes power, we see his father almost try to hinder him with Francisco’s feelings for family obligations. Towards the end of the book Francisco gains enough power within himself to put his wants first though. Francisco had to learn first to question his father. â€Å"He said, ‘Don’t be stupid. Only rich people become teachers. ’ He walked away before I had a chance to say anything. He made me really mad. † (Pg72). Later on Francisco learns of scholarships and thinks well poor people can become teachers too. He gets mad about his father assuming things and saying what he cares about is â€Å"stupid†. Francisco learns despite how he was brought up to that he really loves school and maybe his father can be wrong. ‘Sounds like you don’t believe me, mijo, but it’s true. ’ â€Å"Papa sounded annoyed. † (Pg46). Francisco is starting to see other cultures and he still is proud of his own, but he doesn’t have to believe everything. When his father talks about being healed by a kind of Mexican witch doctor, Francisco makes up his own mind on not thinking that his father was literally cured. As Francisco comes into his own we see the cumbersome weight of choices he is faced with. He now has the power to make his own future but he still asks for his father’s permission almost as an ode to his traditional roots. He gained power through work and school, through this he was able to learn it was all right to express himself. This changing of power from father to son was something that happens in most family and in the end we still see Francisco letting his father hold on to some of that power.