L. Armstrong. American genius.

Jazz was born in New Orleans between 1900 and 1910. Through eighty years after his birth, he acquired the status of an international language, which has become loved and understood all over the world. Of course, every nation has its own "dialect" of the language: the Soviet jazz was developing in other ways, rather than German, and that, in turn, acquired traits that are different from American style. Generally you will notice that, the further East out jazz, the more gains he finds on his way. Despite the fact that today in the United States sounds wonderful avant-garde jazz, traditional forms still take a stronger position than in the countries of Eastern Europe.

I hope that this book will encourage Soviet jazz lovers and professional musicians to comprehend the immense value of the oldest jazz traditions. We do not part with the chorales of Johann Sebastian Bach, the poetry of Alexander Pushkin and the painting of Leonardo da Vinci only for the reason that they're hundreds of years, we continue to open them in a huge sense. The best works of Louis Armstrong today about fifty years old, but they have over us such power and so we touch, if created today. I hope that readers who have not gone through the shock of the greatness of the gift of Armstrong, will want to experience it.

There are very few ways of communicating, just as international as jazz. After all, music is understood by all people of the earth. Let's also hope that it will knit together by strong ties that unite the peoples.