“Lombardo Grooves Louis!” (1949)

Abstract As Metronome’s introductory paragraph for this story explains, Armstrong was given a “blindfold test” by Leonard Feather, in which he was asked to identify and comment on six unnamed recordings. A similar article was published one month later. Predictably, for 1949, the test was set up to give Armstrong an opportunity to voice contempt for Bebop. The following month Armstrong critiqued Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Lennie Tris tano, quipping: “this is all right according to the current trend, but not for no jazz fan.” Armstrong’s management vigorously promoted the Bebop-Armstrong controversy as a media event (see Appendix).