"All of Me" by Louis Armstrong (1932)
This song draws on the tradition of New Orleans ragtime jazz that Armstrong used with brilliance throughout his career, but the number also highlights Armstrong's important role as a jazz innovator (note the trumpet solo). Despite music imperialist Ralph S. Peer's claim that he "invented Louis Armstrong" it was Armstrong that did the inventing. Armstrong changed jazz performance forever by introducing the solo as a fundamental element of the music, raising the bar for all musicians who followed him by his sheer virtuosity with the trumpet. The vocal in this number is typical of the rhythmic singing technique that was another of Armstrong's innovations. He sings behind or in front of the beat, using his voice in the style that a trumpeter or other musician would use an instrument. Armstrong also created the scat singing style heard on the Mills Brothers ( "Tiger Rag") recording represented in this collection.
