Virtual Exhibits

Louis Armstrong made dozens of albums in the long-playing era but for many–including Louis himself–one stands out above all others: 1954’s Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy, recorded for Columbia Records and produced by George Avakian. Earlier this month, Mosaic Records released a limited edition, 7-CD boxed set, The Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia and RCAContinue reading ““They’re My Tops”: The Making of “Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy””

To folks of a certain generation, the word “Freedomland” probably conjures up extremely vivid memories of an amusement park in the Bronx, built to topple the Disney empire. But seeing that it was gone within five years of opening, the amount of folks who actually got to experience Freedomland in all its glory is notContinue reading ““The Greatest Photo Taker”: Remembering Jack Bradley Part 5–Freedomland 1961″

This is a bit of a departure from our “That’s My Home” theme, which admittedly has taken us out of Queens more often than not lately. But when dealing with the globe-trotting life of Louis Armstrong, it’s awfully hard to keep him pinned down to one location! Thus, today’s post will celebrate what was anotherContinue reading ““The Great Chicago Concert”: 65th Anniversary Celebration”

Today is the centennial of the swinging pianist, Marty Napoleon, who spent so many memorable years touring the road with Louis Armstrong. To commemorate this special day, we thought we’d share some treasures from our Archives related to the life of this wonderful musician. Napoleon was born Matthew Napoli in Brooklyn, a child of SicilianContinue reading “Marty Napoleon Centennial Celebration!”

Back in March, we posted an extended piece about the 50th anniversary of Louis Armstrong’s final public performances at the Waldorf-Astoria. If you know your Armstrong history, you most likely know that July 6 will represent the 50th anniversary of Louis Armstrong’s passing. But what happened in between the Waldorf engagement and Pops’s last breaths?Continue reading ““Armstrong’s Personal Recordings”: Louis Armstrong Final Tapes Part 1″

Earlier this week, we published the first part in what will be a series of posts devoted to the tapes and collages Louis Armstrong made in the final weeks of his life. The response to it was so positive, we have decided to expand the series to also include posts devoted to interviews, photographs andContinue reading ““Louis’ Sick Days”: Louis Armstrong’s 1971 Jasmin Interview”

Last week, we kicked off our look at the tapes Louis Armstrong made in the final weeks of his life. That post has all the backstory but the quick summary is after being released from the hospital after a life-threatening heart attack, Armstrong gave a long interview with the German Jasmin magazine, then began makingContinue reading ““Armstrong’s Personal Recordings”: Louis Armstrong’s Final Tapes Part 2″

As the 50th anniversary of Louis Armstrong’s passing approaches, we have already published two detailed pieces on the tapes he made in the last week of his life, as well as the first complete publication in English of a long interview Louis and Lucille did with the German magazine Jasmine on May 25, 1971. Today’sContinue reading ““I Am At Peace With The World”: Louis Armstrong Photos and Letters from June 1971″

In case you’ve missed it, in Part 1 and Part 2 of this series, we examined the first 10 volumes of what Louis Armstrong dubbed “Armstrong’s Personal Recordings,” a series of reel-to-reel tapes comprised (mostly) of his own recordings that he assembled, listened to, cataloged and played along with in the final weeks of hisContinue reading ““Armstrong’s Personal Recordings”: Louis Armstrong’s Final Tapes Part 3″

As we’ve been chronicling all month, the final weeks of Louis Armstrong’s life were ones filled with both tremendous pride as he looked back at his entire musical career, but also a sense of hope that he would once again be able perform for his beloved fans. The looking back was accomplished on his “Armstrong’sContinue reading ““A Message To My Fans And Friends From All Over The World”: Louis Armstrong’s “Open Letter to Fans””