In the spring of 1965, Louis Armstrong was singing and playing powerfully and exuberantly. He had had a major hit in HELLO, DOLLY! and a minor one in SO LONG DEARIE, and he and the All-Stars were greeted with love and ovations wherever they went. They went “behind the Iron Curtain” (as they once said) and played concerts in the Czech Republic and East Berlin, then Paris, before returning home. Much of this material was recorded, but we have the pleasant surprise of thirty-six minutes of film documenting his appearances in Prague. The film captures concert performances, excerpts in many cases, but we also see Louis and wife Lucille, we see him warming up — so fervently — and more. The details:
Lucerna Hall, Prague, Czech Republic, early March 1965. Louis Armstrong, Tyree Glenn, trombone; Eddie Shu, clarinet and tenor saxophone; Billy Kyle, piano; Arvell Shaw, bass; Danny Barcelona, drums; Jewel Brown, vocal. HOW HIGH THE MOON / BACK O’TOWN BLUES / SO LONG, DEARIE / BLUEBERRY HILL / HELLO, DOLLY! / Jam session: unknown title / ‘WAY DOWN YONDER IN NEW ORLEANS // I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO / MOP MOP / SLEEPY TIME DOWN SOUTH / HELLO, DOLLY! //
It’s a tribute to his ebullience and endurance.
Thank you, Louis. And by the way, the last surviving All Star, Jewel Brown, died this week. But everyone in this film is immortal in their own way, sustained by love.
And just to discourage the narrow-minded, comments that suggest Louis’ “prime” stopped in —– will not be posted.
May your happiness increase!
JAZZ LIVES 
i would like to know wich musicians recorded dixieland droopy in 1954 thanks
| Jazz Friends | | |
Louis’ “prime” ended on July 6 1971 when he passed from this world at which point it resumed someplace else.