Here’s another podcast recommendation. On Fresh Air author Ricky Riccardi (note the “I” at the end of his name) talks about his new book on Louis Armstrong’s early life, Stomp Off, Let’s Go: The Early Years of Louis Armstrong.

Terry Gross leads him through Armstrong’s early life where he was brought up around sex workers (to use the modern phrase), and he barely managed to escape with his life as the bullets were flying past him. Then one day he was introduced to a trumpet.

Terry plays excerpts of Armstrong’s music that are much too short. Here’s a complete one that they talk about where Armstrong first introduced scatting, possibly by accident.

By the way, how does one pronounce Armstrong’s first name? On the podcast Ricky Riccardi (I love that name!) and Terry say “Louis”. I’ve nearly always heard people pronounce it as “Louie” and that’s how I normally say it. But on his hit recording of “Hello, Dolly!”, he says “This is Lewis, Dolly.” And I’ve heard other recordings of his where he refers to himself as “Lewis”. Apparently Lucille Armstrong, his fourth wife, called him “Louie”, as did many of his acquaintances, but close friends called him “Pops”.

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