The popularity of jazz over the years has been greatly influenced by key figures who have changed the landscape of musical progression. Leon Bix Beiderbecke and Louis Armstrong were influential cornetists who both created separate playing styles that would impact generations of musicians to come. Although both Beiderbecke and Armstrong had significant roles to play in the history of jazz, they both came from completely different backgrounds which led to their respective musical styles and popularity as musicians. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Both artists had very different upbringings that defined their lives. Bix Beiderbecke was born into a middle-class German family in Davenport, Iowa in 1903. Beiderbecke at a young age already showed incredible musical ability thanks to his innate ability to play the piano. An important influence in his early musical education was the exposure his mother gave him to the French composers Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy who would appear in his musical work later in his life. Just as he learned to play the piano, Beiderbecke decided to play the cornet after listening to Armstrong on a riverboat. Beiderbecke would later go on to learn to play using recordings from the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. Beiderbecke during his early years found that music was a temptation he could not resist. This would cause him problems in the future as he would find himself giving up on school to give in to music. His parents, not so infatuated with his love of music, declared that Bix should be sent to a preparatory school in Chicago; something that was deemed an appropriate way to stop his habits. The irony of this action was that they moved Beiderbecke to Chicago, a hotbed of jazz, which would not stem his love for music but intensify it. Bix was quickly expelled from the academy for running away too many times to listen to the music of heavyweights like Armstrong and Joe "King" Oliver. Destined to come true sooner or later, Bix soon found himself free to pursue music and the first band he joined was an eight-piece band called The Wolverine Orchestra. Shortly later in his life, Bix would find relative fame by becoming a popular cornetist in two orchestras. The first is Jean Goldkette's orchestra. The second orchestra that truly made Beiderbecke famous was Paul Whiteman's; in this orchestra, Bix Beiderbecke toured nationwide and his unique sound on the cornet was something many strove to achieve. Beiderbeckes' life was short-lived as problems with alcohol would soon see him die from alcohol-related pneumonia. Although his life was short-lived, his legacy was not, and Beiderbecke would influence many generations of musicians to come. Louis Armstrong's education contrasted with Beiderbecke's. Armstrong grew up in one of the poorest regions of New Orleans in an orphanage. It was at home that Armstrong made his first real foray into the world of music, which would drastically change his life. Armstrong under the tutelage of Peter Davis, the home music teacher would be encouraged to join the boys' house band, something that would help his musical abilities flourish. Armstrong was a diamond in the rough who caught the attention of cornetist Joe "King" Oliver. Oliver was a legendary New Orleans cornet player and took Armstrong under his wing realizingthat it had the potential for much bigger things. Armstrong soon became an integral part of King Oliver's band and joined Oliver on a journey to the jazz mecca that was Chicago. In Chicago, Armstrong began to make his mark playing with King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and also recording the song Dippermouth Blues, which was a tribute to his iconic smile. Armstrong then decided to go in a new direction by creating his own band Hot Five and Louis Armstrong's Hot Seven. Armstrong continued to lead bands and perform until the late 1960s. He died in his sleep in 1971 due to an unfortunate heart attack. Armstrong's death, although tragic, showed the great impact music had on his life; he took the horn as a child and kept it close until he was sixty. His legacy will live on as a tribute to his love of music. It was said of Armstrong that "If the least successful of the masterpieces he created in the late 1920s... were the only available example of Armstrong's art, it would still be considered a... monumental milestone of jazz." Both musicians had a huge impact on the jazz scene with their respective styles that would influence many subsequent generations to come. Armstrong had what many describe as a hot jazz approach and Beiderbecke had a cool jazz approach. Many factors would help define their music to help it stand out from others. Armstrong on cornet favored the mid-to-high registers and had a great brassy tone on cornet. This type of control over the cornet is what gave Armstrong's cornet its characteristic full-bodied sound. Furthermore, Armstrong's rhythm had greatly evolved from the constraints of early ragtime piano rhythm by incorporating swinging eighth note patterns and syncopated rhythmic patterns that gave the music its unique swinging quality. Another thing that separated Armstrong from other musicians was his unique singing style which, due to an accident during the recording of the song Heebie Jeebies, led him to pioneer the art of scat. One Armstrongs band member likened the event to "like a fire", starting a craze for scat singing. What began as a source of controversy soon became a source of admiration and ranked as his best works. Perhaps one of Armstrong's most established contributions was his approach to improvisation that would change the landscape of jazz music. Armstrong broke away from the traditional constraints of New Orleans group improvisation by popularizing solo improvisation. The solo improvisation was something that proved that a thoughtful solo can be just as exciting as its group counterparts. Armstrong was one of the best early soloists and this was clear from his beautiful rhythm, double lead rests, high note endings and spontaneity that many artists hoped to emulate. It soon became clear that the future of jazz lay in the solo improvisation that Armstrong had pioneered. What helped establish Louis Armstrong's legacy was the combination of his excellent musical faculties with his willingness to experiment beyond the traditional mold of jazz. Armstrong established new rules that demonstrated that music did not have to be defined by traditional rhythmic patterns, group improvisations, and simple vocal accompaniments. Leon "Bix" Beiderbecke brought a different toolkit to jazz and compared to Armstrong it was clear that Beiderbecke did not possess the same formal and technical training. Beiderbecke's lack of formal cornet training was actually what helped define his music: he showed a preference for lower register ranges, unorthodox technique, and softer, more”..