Music: Last Trumpet for the First Trumpeter

GABRIEL himself might have envied his heaven-splitting, jubilant sound. His glossy face and keyboard-size grin were a national treasure—and a welcome sight in homes that would not dream of entertaining any other member of his race. He was a musical genius, a remarkable technician of the trumpet who went on to even wider fame as a singer. The fact that his voice sounded exactly like a wheelbarrow crunching its way up a gravel driveway made no difference at all. Legends don't need voices.

Louis Armstrong's death last week, two days after his 71st birthday,...