To stay off the stage. Armstrong couldnt do it. [band playing the saints go marching in] narrator in july of 1970, george wein staged a celebration at newport for armstrongs 70th birthday. Many of the musicians with whom he had played over the years had come back to be with him. Wein he was ill for a couple of years, and. And he was quite frail. The doctor didnt want him to play, but he allowed him to come to newport. Its this. Reenergizing when the opportunity for him to do what he wanted to do and to know that he was out there reaching people. And he put everything he had into that evening. Narrator wein wanted to save armstrongs strength, and suggested he simply walk onstage unannounced, rather than sing his theme song. Armstrong, weak as he was, wouldnt hear of it. Giddins it was very important for an entertainer to have a theme song, because only the really great ones had songs that instantly meant them. So Louis Armstrong had a sentimental southern tune sleepytime down south. He was very attached to it. He loved the it was a beautiful melody. You know, you didnt give Something Like that up lightly. Armstrong for as long as i live, sleepytime down south will be my. My lifelong number, because it. Lives with me, and its my theme song, and when i walk out on that stage and say and everybodys waiting, quiet now the pale moons shining on the fields below the folks are crooning soft and low you neednt tell me, boy because i know, yes, yes when its sleepytime down south [singing scat] soft wind blowin through the pinewood trees the folks out there live a life of ease when old mammy falls on her knees when i say. [singing scat] oh good evenin, everybody the shows on, daddy. [band playing sleepytime down south] wein when he dressed up for that evening, he had on a nice brown suit, as i remember. [crowd cheering] and there was a glow on his face. There was a glow in his eyes. There was a glow in his skin. And he just sang so beautifully, and he projected. It was like, hey, im here again. You know, im still here. Im still Louis Armstrong, and im still going to give you a great evening of music and entertainment. Now the pale moons shining on the fields below narrator tributes poured in from fellow musicians. Louis armstrong, bing crosby said, is the beginning and the end of music in america. Armstrong you neednt tell me, boy. Narrator Dizzy Gillespie said simply. No him, no me. Armstrong when its sleepytime down south yes narrator after his appearance at newport, armstrong went back on the road, but he soon grew dangerously weak again. In march of 1971, he was offered a twoweek engagement at the waldorfastoria in manhattan. His doctors were against it, afraid he would die onstage. Shaw he had so much music in him, its no way he could have lived and not played. One of the worst experiences i had with him i did the last 3 weeks with him, and we were at the empire room at the waldorfastoria. And the doctorhed been in intensive care the doctor told him, said, louis, dont do it. You cant do it. Louis said, well, i got a contract. I got to do it. My fans. And they. Had to help him. On. [sighs] [voice cracking] they. They had to help him on and off. [sighs] [birds singing] narrator in the Early Morning hours of july 6, 1971, Louis Armstrong the most important figure in the history of jazz died at his home in queens. Jacobs and oscar cohen called and said, phoebe, pops is gone. [voice shaking] uh. My heart broke. But i guess i knew, in the flash of that moment, that louis would never die, because louis was a spirit. He was a spirit. Inasmuch as he encompassed my life, i know he must have touched on millions of people. Wynton marsalis Louis Armstrongs overwhelming message is one of love. Really, when you hear his music, its of joy. His music is so joyous. He was just not going to be defeated by the forces of life, and these forces visit all of us. Theres always something my greatgreatgrandmother used to say that life has a board for every behind, and its a board just fit to yours, so. Maybe your board is not going to work on somebody elses behind, and when its your turn, youre going to come up and that paddle is going to be put on your booty, and its going to hurt as bad as it can hurt. And Louis Armstrong is there to tell you, after you get that paddling, its all right, son. Whoa, dinah is there anyone finer in the state of carolina if there is and you know, show her to me dinah [singing scat]. To the eyes of dinah lee baby, every night, when i shake with fright, oh cause my dinah might change her mind [singing scat] oh, man, oh dinah dinah oh, dinah, oh, Babe Dinah Lee dinah, dinah, dinah. [singing scat] oh, baby, every night when i. [singing scat] [playing trumpet solo] [crowd cheering] narrator in the years after Louis Armstrongs death, Duke Ellington continued to write. In restaurants and nightclubs, in airplanes and taxicabs and hotel rooms. Music is my mistress, he said, and she plays second fiddle to no one. Giddins ellingtons last decade is one of the best in his whole career. When strayhorn died in 1967, ellington, as if to compensate for the first time, not having strayhorn by his side after 28 years he wrote more than ever, and the pieces became more and more experimental and different the latin american suite, the afroeurasian eclipse, which is, you know, a real attempt toto describe a oneworld music in the language of ellingtonia. Narrator but in the spring of 1972, ellington was diagnosed with lung cancer. Characteristically, he told no one. Woman my grandfather never complained. That was part of that upbringing that you never show your true feelings. So if you were ill or if you were in pain, it was impolite. Im sure. When doors were closed behind the dressing room, in his own private place there were complaints, there was truth about what was really going on, but none of us ever saw that. [playing sentimental lady] man uh, what tune, since youve gone back to the piano, what tune, um. Have you written, which you think is the best . Oh. The one coming up tomorrow. Always. Narrator for the first time in his long career, he began canceling public appearances. When ellington was hospitalized in new york, he asked that his electric piano be brought to his room so that he could keep on working on a comic opera, a score for a dance troupe, still more sacred music. When his eyesight began to fail, he simply wrote larger. Sometimes using the backs of the hundreds of getwell cards that flooded his room. Edward Kennedy Ellington considered by many the greatest of all american composers died on may 24, 1974. I think we always feel we never said enough. Or did enough for someone. So good to you, and, uh. It just took everything out of me. A person has gone, but you keep him alive in your memories and your thoughts. Each one of us had a different experience. I still remember. Looking up from the trombone section when duke would come on at night, take his place at the piano, and hed look up and just smile. You know, were here together again, arent we . Come on, lets go. And it was great. Narrator he was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in the bronx, not far from Louis Armstrong. And next to his mother, who had been the first to tell him that he was blessed. [band playing in a sentimental mood] narrator in the 1960s, the city of new orleans tore down the house in which Louis Armstrong was born. To make way for a police station. By then, the Lincoln Gardens on the south side of chicago, where armstrong had played with king oliver, had long since closed its doors. Law and order had come to kansas city, and most of the wideopen clubs, in which lester young and count basie and Charlie Parker once played, vanished. The cotton club in harlem, where Duke Ellington first broadcast his jungle music, was gone. So was the savoy ballroom, where chick webb once took on all comers, and Ella Fitzgerald first became a star. Birdland, the club named for Charlie Parker, abandoned jazz for rhythm and blues. In 1968, the last club on 52nd street finally closed its doors. Even the five spot, where Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane first performed their demanding music, eventually went out of business. During the late 1930s, jazz and swing had provided 70 of the profits in the music industry. By the mid1970s, it was less than 3 . In 1975, miles davis himself said that jazz was dead the music of the museum. Branford marsalis jazz just kind of died. It just kind of went away for a while. There were still people playing. There were still people playing, but to be honest, with the exception of a few like kenny barron or ron carter or sir roland hanna who really just stayed with it, you know a lot of the more talented Younger Generation that was supposed to come up did something else, and that had never happened before. Wynton marsalis today you go in to make a modern recording, all this technology the bass plays first, then the drums come in later, then they track the trumpet, then the singer comes in, then they ship the tape somewhere. Well, none of the musicians have played together. You cant play jazz music that way. In order for you to play jazz, youve got to listen to them. The music forces you at all times to address what other people are thinking and for you to interact with them with empathy and to deal with the process of working things out. And, uh. Thats how our music really could teach what the meaning of american democracy is. The thing in jazz that will get Bix Beiderbecke up out of his bed at 2 00 in the morning to pick that cornet up and practice into the pillow for another two or 3 hours. Or that would make Louis Armstrong travel around the world for 50something years just nonstop, get up out of his sickbed, crawl up on the bandstand, and play. The thing that would make Duke Ellington, the thing that would make thelonious monk, miles davis, Charlie Parker, mary lou williams. The thing that would make all of these people give their lives for this and they did give their lives for it is that it gives us a glimpse into what america is going to be when it becomes itself. And this music tells you that it will become itself. And when you get a taste of that. There just is nothing else youre going to taste thats as sweet. Thats a sweet taste, man. [piano playing lets get down] [band joins in] narrator in 1976, Dexter Gordon came back to america. For most of the past 15 years, he had been living in europe, where jazz still had an enthusiastic audience, and where musicians could always find work. When gordon opened at the village vanguard, he wasnt sure how he would be received. Woman well, it was a whole new era when Dexter Gordon walked into this room. People came from all over because they knew about him he didnt think they did and they were there waiting for him to appear, and here he came, this long, tall, beautiful man so elegant, you know. [crowd cheering] Lorraine Gordon and he just played this gorgeous music, and people just went nuts, and happy and thrilled, and gave him the honor he truly deserved. [gordon playing lets get down] man Dexter Gordon was one of my favorite musicians when i was growing up. My dad played saxophone and had a lot of records of Dexter Gordon. And i was present at the village vanguard during his homecoming week, and it was just amazing to feel the impact of his sound and his presence. To be in a room with him. At that time, for me i was 23 years old at the time and. It just hit me like a ton of bricks just his sound, the power of his tone. Narrator he played straightahead jazz without synthesizers, without electronic bass, without a drum machine and the crowds stood to cheer him after every tune. Columbia had offered him a contract, and the special tworecord live album he made at the vanguard was called homecoming. It sold surprisingly well. There was still an audience for the music that flowed directly from Louis Armstrong and lester young and Charlie Parker. [song ends] [applause and whistling] narrator a year after Dexter Gordons triumphant comeback, the drummer art blakey was in new york, auditioning Young Musicians for his jazz messengers. Just as he had been doing for 3 decades. Cuscuna on this night, this young kid sat in on trumpet, and he was astonishing. His ideas were fresh and different and very concise and clear very clear thinker. And at the end of the set, i saidi asked arti said, who the hell is that . And he said, well, thats Ellis Marsalis kid. And Ellis Marsalis was a wonderful new orleans pianist who was littleknown outside new orleans, but a favorite musician of a lot of us. And he introduced me to him, and later on he said, hes in his first year at juilliard and, of course, you know, i couldnt do that to ellis. I just couldnt pull him out of school and offer him the job, you know, so i cant give him the gig. But two sets later, about 4 00 in the morning, we were all hanging out at the club, and i said, so, art, did you decide on any new members . He said, just one Wynton Marsalis. [marsalis playing soon all will know] narrator Wynton Marsalis was born in 1961 in new orleans, a year before Dexter Gordon began his selfimposed exile in europe. He was brought up surrounded by music. His father, ellis, was a pianist, composer, and music educator. His older brother branford played the saxophone. Two younger brothers, delfeayo and jason, would become musicians, as well. By his midteens, marsalis was playing in all kinds of groups around new orleans marching bands, funk bands, and the new orleans civic orchestra. Wynton marsalis we had a partner of mine across the street. We would play records for each other, you know . Then it would be, like, tower of power and early earth, wind fire, marvin gaye, stevie wonder. You know, everybody would bring in, like, whats going on . So i took one of my fathers coltrane albums out. It was actually my favorite things, cause i liked the cover it was blue and red. And trane was playing the soprano, and i said, man, lets check this out. Lets check this trane out. So i put trane on doo ding, doo ding, doo doo doo ling so they started playing my favorite things, and were all, like, yeah. You know, trane and them played. The song was, like, 10 or 15 minutes or something. It was too long for the cats, you know, so everybody was like, yeah, you know, ok. And i was like, yeah, you know, i kind of like that. And then i started listening to giant steps, and every day i would come home in the summertime and put that giant steps album on. And i can hear trane right now, you know . Doo dee doo its just something in the sound of it. [playing surrey with the fringe on top] narrator marsalis soon began to soak up all the jazz history he could, grounding his own experiments in a thorough knowledge of the musics rich past. Wein and i listened to him play. And ii started to cry. I couldnt believe it, because i never thought id hear a young black musician. Play that way, and i could hear that he had been listening to Louis Armstrong. And that meant so much to me, because the only musicians Young Musiciansthat paid attention to Louis Armstrong were white musicians. Young africanAmerican Musicians did not Pay Attention to Louis Armstrong. [playing caravan] narrator by the age of 21, after just two years on the road with art blakey, Wynton Marsalis was a star, the leader of his own group. His first record had sold more than 100,000 copies unheard of in the 1980s for an acoustic jazz album. Cuscuna wynton was the first new acoustic jazz player with something to say. And fortunately thereafter, with his brother branford and a lot of people that wynton knew, the floodgates opened, and suddenly in the eighties there were a lot of new players that pumped new blood into jazz, which was awhich was very much of a saving grace. Narrator by the late 1980s and early 1990s, marsalis success inspired Record Companies to seek out and promote new stars. In 1992, he was named artistic director of jazz at lincoln center, and 5 years later, Wynton Marsalis became the first jazz composer ever to win the Pulitzer Prize in music. [band playing death letter] but by the very nature of the music, no individual artist has ever been the sole focus of jazz in america. Dozens of supremely talented musicians now feed the many tributaries of jazz. Christian mcbride. Lewis nash. David murray. Steve coleman. Joe lovano. Jacky terrasson. Greg osby. Geri allen. Marcus roberts. Joshua redman. And cassandra wilson. I got a letter this morning. Narrator . Who has found brandnew ways of singing everything, from pop tunes and the ballads of Billie Holliday to early delta blues. Wilson got a letter this morning how do you reckon it read . Mmm, it said, hurry, hurry, on account of the man you love is dead well, i packed up my suitcase took off down the road when i got there he was lying on the cooling board i packed up my suitcase took off dow