Trailing through the life of Louis Armstrong, and intimately so, is no small feat. For Sacha Jenkins, it means discussing the life of one of the all-time greats with others that hold him in such high regard. Beauty, Orson Welles and charm is captured in the opening moments of this feature. Providing not just a keen grasp of how talented Armstrong was, but how broad his influence is, both at the time of his heroic musical charm and in the modern era. Armstrong was a quality musician but also a clear, sincere boundary pusher who tried and tried again to make a statement with his craft. That he did, and Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues does well to accommodate the spurning narrative and titbits of information.
Much of the documentary, from director Sacha Jenkins, feels heartfelt and rewarding. Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues is a real dive into the scope of footage, untouched and unseen for generations. Plenty of detail and much of it is told to the audiences through the words of those most intimate with Armstrong, or Armstrong himself. There comes a time when the narrative could rely on those talking heads inserts, of people deviating from the real showcase of fact and start embellishing the feature with memories of how much a great artist means to them. Thankfully it never comes to that, Jenkins is keen to let Armstrong chart his life, influences and impact in his own words. Key to that is engaging with the playing style, the interviews and the charms of a prominent personality and talent.
Reliance on that footage, those photos of the early days, is a gamble that pays off for Jenkins. Inherent to the qualities of the documentary here is an understanding of Armstrong’s melodies and talents, not just offered up by his work but by relevant critics, musicians and those that knew of him. That much is acceptable, it beats the slate of somewhat relevant talking heads rattling off facts and interests in the life and career without actually understanding them. Much of the quality comes from Jenkins, of course. His natural flow of documentary-making is a delight and will mark a very adept level to the facts of Armstrong. The influences of Armstrong are utter, grand and beyond that of anything first expected, and Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues does definitively well to understand just how far-reaching that influence was, and just how much of it is still around for modern musicians.
Rife gangsters and Frankie Foster, influences on The Beatles and beyond, feature films and everything in between, Armstrong really did do it all before anybody claimed to do so. Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues is a solid representation of Armstrong, his life and his career. Jenkins has done a tremendous job in curating a hefty backlog of a life in footage into something manageable, that leaves its audience with further knowledge of an incredible musician. Armstrong was above the power that tried to push him down. His talent was like no other and he, thankfully, was showcasing that time and time again with the supply of footage out there. Jenkins does well to curate the best of a great musician.
