Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong

In his exceptional biography of Louis Armstrong, Terry Teachout pointed out that jazz was in everything that Pops recorded. Even his poppiest hits including “Hello, Dolly!” and “What a Wonderful World,” Pops incorporated jazz elements into them. Pops is an engaging read as Teachout unfolds of the controversy of Armstrong’s “old-fashioned way of mixing high art with low comedy” and the dark side behind his happy face.