Lil Hardin Armstrong Becomes the First Lady of Jazz
November 1, 2018
Gr 3-6-This biography in verse tells the story of Lil Hardin Armstrong, the first lady of jazz and Louis Armstrong's first wife. While the book starts with Hardin Armstrong's birth, most of the text focuses on her time as a jazz pianist in the 1920s and her influential role in Louis Armstrong's success. The poetry is free form and peppered with bits of scat as an ode to early jazz, and it works well as a vehicle to tell the story of such a strong figure in this movement. Hardin Armstrong's life is compelling, and readers will be inspired by her perseverance and rise to success in a male-dominated field and in the face of segregation. However, details about her life are less realized than in a typical biography partly because of the book's lyrical format. Thankfully Powell includes a variety of back matter including more information on Hardin Armstrong, jazz music, and the rise of jazz clubs in the 1920s. The charming illustrations nicely enhance the text. VERDICT Recommended for most libraries, especially where biographies circulate well.-Ellen Conlin, Naperville Public Library, IL
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 15, 2018
Grades 4-7 Powell's biography of Lil Hardin Armstrong is written in freewheeling verse, starting with her humble beginnings in Memphis, Tennessee. At two, she played with the organ at the rooming house where she and her mother lived. Her mother sent her for piano lessons, hoping Lil would become a concert pianist, but Lil was in love with music with a beat. Over the years, she went from demonstrating melodies in a Chicago music store to playing piano in jazz bands at night clubs, where she met her future husband, a shy trumpet player named Louis Armstrong. Lil also wrote songs such as the eponymous Struttin' with Some Barbecue, Just for a Thrill, and Bad Boy. Paired with Himes' soft, stylish ink illustrations, her story bounces along with a syncopated beat in Powell's lively poems, which are peppered with enough scat-song phrases and exclamations to make the reader dance. Further information about Lil, a glossary of terms used in the book, bibliographies, quotation citations, and a thorough index add a grace note to the text.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2019
This smart, lively biography in verse tells the story of Lillian Hardin Armstrong--her talent as a musician and composer, her drive, and her instrumental role in popularizing both the career of husband Louis Armstrong and jazz itself. The black-and-white illustrations' gracefully energetic lines echo and underscore the strength and elegance of the "First Lady of Jazz." Robust back matter complements the concise text. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind.
(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
Starred review from October 15, 2018
Lil Hardin, dubbed "the first lady of jazz," gets a loving ode in this biography in free verse.Raised by "Mama and Grandma / in Memphis, Tennessee, / two blocks from / wild, wailin' Beale Street," Lil was a precocious musician from childhood. But the night life of Beale Street with its "devil's music" pulled her away from the proper, ladylike college life her mother wanted for her. She got a job at a music store and then won a place in an all-male band, an exceptional feat at the time. She met Louis Armstrong, a shy trumpet player, when they played in the same band. She told him he couldn't stay playing second trumpet and was behind much of his success. "Dang, they were musical royalty-- / inventing / a new kind of sound-- / makin' / jazz." As she earlier demonstrated in Josephine (illustrated by Christian Robinson, 2014), Powell is a die-hard fan of jazz, and it shows in the hum of her lines. She writes in her introduction that she hopes this biography inspires readers "to explore early jazz--and makes you want to get up and dance." On both counts, her writing succeeds. Himes' ink-and-graphite illustrations are inspired by the time period and add to the immersive feel of the work.Brimming with a contagious love of jazz and its first lady, this work brings down the house. (notes, timeline, glossary, resources, sources, index) (Verse biography. 8-14)
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