SATCHMO'S BLUES

Coming from a poor but proud family, the child Louis Armstrong fulfills his dream of buying his very own horn by working hard and saving until he has enough money. Young "Satchmo" feels the music's energy in his soul whenever he hears jazz at the local club, gospel at church or swing on Saturday night. The deep, rich tones of narrator Peter Francis James are as fluid as Armstrong's music; he embraces Mama Armstrong's "back-o'-the-town" New Orleans dialect and Louis' yearning to play music--he even mimics him playing an imaginary trumpet. An afterword touching upon Satchmo's future and influence on twentieth-century music may spark early readers to discover more about him. Schroeder's inspiring fictional story is a perfect swing tune for James's lyrical voice. J.H.B. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPT 97]