New Video Release - June 26, 2001:
- "The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong" - available in DVD and VHS formats; hour long documentary featuring rare interviw and performance clips; BBC production features clips from "The Bing Crosby Show" and "The Perry Como Show", and tour footage from Africa, and interviews with Max Roach, Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Arvell Shaw, Hal David and others.
Recent and Upcoming CD Releases:
- "Legendary Satchmo" - 4 CD set (06/26/2001)
- "Satchmo: A Musical Autobiography" - 3 CD box set from Verve/GRP; album was originally released in 1957; it features new versions of many of his early classics from the 1920's and 30's, and also Satchmo's spoken commentary between tracks (06/26/2001)
- More Satchmo CD's - click here for additional recent releases & reissues.
Louis Armstrong News Items:
- Platinum for Pops! Louis Armstrong's 1968 album "What A Wonderful World" was certified Platinum (sales of 1 million units) by the RIAA on July 27, 2001. This is the first Platinum album for Armstrong, but he attained Gold status (500,000 units sold) for the albums All Time Greatest Hits, Hello, Dolly!, and "What A Wonderful World".
- Public Radio Tribute: the NPR radio show American Routes will air a "Louis Armstrong Centennial Celebration" during the week of August 1, 2001 (check local listings for air date & time in your area). The Satchmo tribute features interviews with members of Armstrong's All-Stars band, Arvell Shaw (bass) and Joe Muranyi (clarinet), and also New Orleans trumpeters Nicholas Payton and Kermit Ruffins. "American Routes" is also broadcast over the Internet by many stations, so tune in online if your local NPR affiliate doesn't carry it.
- Council Okays Armstrong Airport Proposal: on July 5th, the New Orleans City Council unanimously approved Mayor Marc Morial's proposal to rename the New Orleans International Airport to the "Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport"; the official renaming ceremony will be held on on August 2, 2001, in conjunction with the "Satchmo SummerFest" tribute to the centennial of Armstrong's birth; the Satchmo SummerFest is scheduled for August 2 - 5, 2001.
- Armstrong Remembered at 100: Pioneering Producer George Avakian On Why Satchmo Endures - news article from ASCAP.com.
- Jazz Awards 2001 - Louis Armstrong's "Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings", a 4 CD box set released by Columbia Records last August, was named "Reissue of the Year" at the Jazz Fest 2001 awards held in New York on June 14, 2001; read more.
- New Orleans radio station WWNO 89.9 FM to repeat 13 week Armstrong series from May 11 through August 3, 2001.
- Mayor Marc Morial has asked the New Orleans City Council and the Aviation Board to pass an ordinance renaming the New Orleans International Airport to The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. Little opposition is expected to the proposal, and Mayor Morial anticipates having the change in place in time for the centennial of Armstrong's birth on August 4, 2001.
"The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport will celebrate the achievements of one of the undisputed greatest cultural ambassadors of the 20th century," the mayor said in a letter to the Aviation Board's chairman. "Louis Armstrong's name is synonymous with New Orleans, and his very name attracts visitors to our city." (I'd like to propose that we change our Airport Code from MSY to POPS).
- Check out the Nicholas Payton Tour schedule for upcoming dates for his "Louis Armstrong Centennial Celebration" gigs.
- Payton Tribute: trumpeter Nicholas Payton will release a musical tribute to Satchmo on April 24th; the album, titled "Dear Louis", contains Armstrong covers, plus a Payton original (the title track); Read more on "Dear Louis".
- Jazz Festival Poster: Louis Armstrong is featured on the 2001 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival official poster; Satchmo was also depicted on the 1995 Jazz Fest poster.
- Satchmo Tribute Concert Online: Jazzradio.org has archived the July 4, 2000 "Hotter Than That" tribute concert, which featured the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis and guests Clark Terry and Dianne Reeves; read more about the concert; listen to the concert.
- Satchmo Makes Top Tunes List: Louis Armstrong's "When The Saints Go Marching In" and "What A Wonderful World" were included in the Top 365 Songs of The 20th Century, as announced by the RIAA and the National Endowment for the Arts; read more.
- Grammy Hall of Fame: Two more of Armstrong's recordings were added to the Grammy Hall of Fame it was announced on February 12, 2001. "Hello, Dolly!" and "Porgy and Bess" were added to the 6 other Satchmo recordings that have been enshrined (see Awards & Honors Page for complete list).
- Armstrong & Bessie Smith: Louis is featured in a new book "BackWaterBlues: In Search of Bessie Smith", written by Sara Grimes. Grimes interviewed Armstrong in 1968, and an audio clip of the interview is available from the BackWaterBlues web site.
- Nicholas Payton to Release Tribute Album: Satchmo disciple Nicholas Payton and his "Louis Armstrong Centennial Celebration Big Band" recently recorded tracks for an upcoming Armstrong tribute CD; the album, tentatively titled "Dear Louis", is scheduled for release on Verve Records circa February 2001; for upcoming Payton tour dates, visit our Centennial Events page; a list of current band personnel can be found at "Big Band" trumpeter Paul Stephens' web site.
- Vocal group Manhattan Transfer released "The Spirit Of St. Louis", a tribute to Louis Armstrong on October 10th; Manhattan Transfer's Cheryl Bentyne observes about Satchmo: "Everything all jazz musicians, rock musicians, have done, all funnels down to Louis Armstrong." Janis Siegel adds: "The thing that we wanted to express on this album was the pure joy that Louis Armstrong expressed in his music. We wanted to capture his spirit more than any literal interpretation... have that spirit infused in the music."
- Louis Armstrong's Female Trouble: Lecture in the trumpeter's place of birth goes into his relationships with women (Sonicnet.com; 09/27/2000)
- CDNOW reviews Complete Hot Five & Hot Seven Recordings (08/28/2000)
- Satchmo's sanctuary: The church of his baptism salutes Louis Armstrong (New Orleans Times-Picayune; 08/25/2000)
- Discs Show How Armstrong Led a Revolution in Jazz; Jesse Hamlin's review of "The Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings" (San Francisco Chronicle; August 20, 2000)
- Digging for Satchmo's Roots in the City That Spawned Him; In this "not quite centennial" year of Louis Armstrong, there may not be a better way to see New Orleans than through the eyes of his latest and perhaps most obsessive biographer, Tad Jones, a fifth-generation New Orleanian (New York Times; August 15, 2000; requires registration)
- Marsalis on Armstrong; Wynton Marsalis speaks about the life and lasting influence of Louis Armstrong in an interview by Scott Jordan (Gambit Weekly; August 8, 2000)
- Louis Armstrong Centennial Celebrated 1 Year Early (Reuters; July 2, 2000)
- The Satchmo Century: Louis Armstrong left a mark on music still highly visible today (Dallas Morning News; July 2, 2000)
- Touting A Great Horn (USA Today feature; June 30, 2000)
- Wynton Marsalis Gears Up For July 4th Louis Armstrong Celebration (Sonicnet.com; June 30, 2000)
- Satchmo's Centennial: What a Wonderful Life (Associated Press; June 29, 2000)
- Pops featured in Down Beat: Louis Armstrong is the subject of a feature in the July, 2000 issue of Down Beat magazine; the issue also features New Orleans trumpet greats Kermit Ruffins, Nicholas Payton, Wynton Marsalis, Wendell Brunious, and Irvin Mayfield (June 20, 2000).
- 13 Month Tribute Kicks Off July 4th: The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis kicks off their 13-month celebration of 100 Years of Louis Armstrong on 100th anniversary of his birthdate with a free outdoor concert (June 5, 2000).
- Ambassador Satch! President Clinton and Russian president Vladimir V. Putin take in a tribute to Louis Armstrong, led by Russian band leader, Oleg Lundsrem (NY Times; June 4, 2000).
- Louis Armstrong: The Heart And Soul Of Jazz Lives On (SonicNet.com; April 1, 2000)
- Wherever He Went, Joy Was Sure to Follow by Stanley Crouch (NY Times; March 12, 2000)
- Louis Armstrong: A Memoir of Corona, Queens (NY Times; March 12, 2000)
- Louis Armstrong Centennial The Focus Of Jazz At Lincoln Center 2000-2001 Season (Allstar News; February 1, 2000)
- Louis Armstrong's trumpet among artifacts in Millennium Time Capsule; (CNN; December 31, 1999)
- Back Where He Belongs; ABC News article on Satchmo's Queens, NY stomping grounds and the Louis Armstrong Archives at Queens College.
- Louis Armstrong named New Orleanian of The 20th Century; (Gambit Weekly; August 31, 1999)
- A Wonderful World; article from BBC News features vintage video clips (May 10, 1999)
- Louis Armstrong Foundation Gift Will Bring Jazz to School Children (July 8, 1998)
From the archives of The New York Times: (may require registration)
- Trumpeter's Jubilee: Louis Armstrong Rounds Out Twenty-five Years as a Hot Jazz Wizard by Leonard Feather (October 26, 1941)
- Program By Armstrong: Audience of Trumpeter Stays Under Spell at 2:30 A.M. (November 17, 1947)
- Satchmo Wears His Crown Gaily by Howard Taubman (January 29, 1950)
- 'Just Plain Old Satchmo' Turns 70 Sweetly by Israel Shenker (July 4, 1970)
- Louis Armstrong, Jazz Trumpeter and Singer, Dies by Albin Krebs (July 7, 1971)
- Louis Armstrong 1900-1971; a tribute by Dizzy Gillespie (July 18, 1971)
- An Archive of Louis and Jazz by Michael T. Kaufman (May 25, 1994)
- House of Satch Gets New Gig by Lynette Holloway (February 10, 1996)
From the archives of Down Beat Magazine:
Archived Book Reviews:
Archived CD and Album Reviews:
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