Louis Armstrong House Museum

01/23/2025

Our “That’s My Home” series on the 1959 “Timex All-Star Jazz Show” has now reached show day, with many incredible Maynard Frank Wolfe photos of Louis Armstrong rehearsing with Jackie Gleason, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, and many other giants of the music. Nearly all of these photos are being published here for the first time—enjoy!

LINK IN STORY and below!

https://virtualexhibits.louisarmstronghouse.org/2025/01/23/timex-all-star-jazz-show-celebration-part-4/

01/23/2025

Our "That's My Home" series on the 1959 "Timex All-Star Jazz Show" has now reached show day, with many incredible Maynard Frank Wolfe photos of Louis Armstrong rehearsing with Jackie Gleason, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, and many other giants of the music. Nearly all of these photos are being published here for the first time--enjoy!

After three action-packed, table-setting posts (here are links to Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3), we have finally reached January 7, 1959, the day the fourth Timex All-Star Jazz Show was filmed and ai…

01/20/2025

In early 1970, producer Bob Thiele visited Louis Armstrong at home to toss around ideas for an album, including having him record the Civil Rights anthem “We Shall Overcome.” “Louis’ eyes lit up,” Thiele recalled. “He reached up and pulled down a tape of the Martin Luther King funeral that he’d made. We played it and he said he loved the way the choir sang the piece during the service.” They decided to record it, with Armstrong getting a copy of the sheet music to prepare. This is Armstrong’s copy of the sheet music, complete with a photo of Dr. King on the cover. For this Martin Luther King Day, it seems like an especially appropriate choice to share from our Archives. Find Armstrong’s recording—which he recorded with tears in his eyes—and play it loud today. For Pops. And for Dr. King.

01/17/2025

Our celebration of 1959's "Timex All Star Jazz Show" continues with more Maynard Frank Wolfe photographs taken at the January 6, 1959 rehearsal, this time featuring Louis Armstrong with the All Stars, Bobby Hackett, Gene Krupa, and Dizzy Gillespie. Enjoy!

In case you’d like to catch up on this series devoted to the Timex All Star Jazz Show of January 7, 1959, we’ve already published a first part that shared the initial script and photos …

01/15/2025

Over on our “That’s My Home” page, we’re continuing our celebration of the January 1959 “Timex All Star Jazz Show” with a post featuring dozens of never-before-published photos taken by Maynard Frank Wolfe featuring Louis Armstrong rehearsing with Duke Ellington and His Orchestra! Also, bonus appearances by Gene Krupa, Bobby Hackett, Jackie Gleason, Dakota Staton, George Shearing, and more! Link is below and we’ll have more to share from this star-studded gathering in the days to come—enjoy!

LINK IN STORY and below:

https://virtualexhibits.louisarmstronghouse.org/2025/01/14/timex-all-star-jazz-show-celebration-part-2-rehearsal-with-duke-ellington/

01/14/2025

Over on our "That's My Home" page, we're continuing our celebration of the January 1959 "Timex All Star Jazz Show" with a post featuring dozens of never-before-published photos taken by Maynard Frank Wolfe featuring Louis Armstrong rehearsing with Duke Ellington and His Orchestra! Also, bonus appearances by Gene Krupa, Bobby Hackett, Jackie Gleason, Dakota Staton, George Shearing, and more! Link is below and we'll have more to share from this star-studded gathering in the days to come--enjoy!

In the first part of this series, we shared a little of the backstory of the fourth Timex All Star Jazz Show, including some pages of the first draft of George T. Simon’s script, audio of Lou…

01/13/2025

Listen, Reflect, Celebrate: Honoring the Legacy of Armstrong’s Hot Fives & Sevens.

Join us for an unforgettable listening session as Ricky Riccardi and Matthew Rivera host special guests Soul Science. Dive deep into the groundbreaking Hot Five recordings of the 1920s and discover their enduring influence on music today. As we kick off a year-long celebration of this iconic era, let’s explore the sounds that shaped jazz and inspire the future of artistry of hip hop.

Free with reservation. Link in bio 🎺

Date: January 24 2025
Time: 1:00PM
Location: Louis Armstrong Center Jazz Room

01/13/2025

Happy Birthday, Lucille Armstrong, born on January 13, 1914! Without her dedication to her late husband’s legacy, there would not be a Louis Armstrong House Museum and Archives today. She also had quite a career before she met Louis, too; watch, listen and read all about Lucille in our Virtual Exhibit posts—LINKS IN STORY and below!

https://virtualexhibits.louisarmstronghouse.org/2020/05/18/brown-sugar-the-story-of-lucille-wilson-armstrong/

https://virtualexhibits.louisarmstronghouse.org/2024/01/13/louiss-lady-lucille-lucille-armstrong-110th-birthday-celebration/

01/11/2025

Join us on January 18th at 3 PM in the Jazz Room at the Louis Armstrong House Center for From the Earth, an immersive performance by acclaimed vocalist and composer Andromeda Turre. Known for her powerful voice and innovative artistry, Andromeda draws from jazz’s rich traditions while exploring fresh, contemporary themes.

Her latest project, From the Earth, weaves stories of connection, resilience, and hope, showcasing her signature blend of timeless melodies and modern creativity. This special event promises an intimate afternoon of music, storytelling, and inspiration.

Date: January 18th, 2025
Time: 3:00pm
Location: Louis Armstrong House Museum, Jazz Room

01/08/2025

We did it! Thanks to your incredible generosity, we’ve surpassed our 2024 giving campaign goal!

We can’t wait to share what’s in store for the year ahead and are so excited to swing into 2025 with you. Thank you for being an amazing part of our community!

#2025

01/07/2025

This weekend, The Louis Armstrong House Museum is partnering with the Whitney Museum of American Art to present a series of FREE programs in celebration of the Edges of Ailey exhibit!
Edges of Ailey, is the first large-scale museum exhibition to celebrate the life, dances, influences, and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey.

On January 12th, don’t miss these amazing events:
Collage Workshop at 11:00 AM – Unleash your creativity!
Armstrong Now Performance by Lisa La Touche at 11:30 AM
Panel Discussion: The Artist’s Archive at 2:00 PM – Insightful conversations with Adrienne Edwards, Joy Bivins, and Regina Bain

All events are free but require reservations—find all links in bio!
🔗 www.louisarmstronghouse.org/events

01/07/2025

66 years ago tonight, CBS aired the fourth and final “Timex All Star Jazz Show,” hosted by Jackie Gleason and featuring Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, and many more. To celebrate the anniversary of this historic broadcast, we have begun a multi-part series on our “That’s My Home” site which will include dozens of photos, audio, video, and more. Part 1 is live now, featuring a look at the original script—and audio of Louis and Lucille Armstrong rehearsing a second draft—and photos from the first rehearsal taken by photographer Maynard Frank Wolfe. Enjoy—and more to come!

LINK IN STORY and below!

https://virtualexhibits.louisarmstronghouse.org/2025/01/07/timex-all-star-jazz-show-65th-anniversary-part-1-the-script-and-first-rehearsal/

01/07/2025

66 years ago tonight, CBS aired the fourth and final "Timex All Star Jazz Show," hosted by Jackie Gleason and featuring Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Coleman Hawkins, and many more. To celebrate the anniversary of this historic broadcast, we have begun a multi-part series on our "That's My Home" site which will include dozens of photos, audio, video, and more. Part 1 is live now, featuring a look at the original script--and audio of Louis and Lucille Armstrong rehearsing a second draft--and photos from the first rehearsal taken by photographer Maynard Frank Wolfe. Enjoy--and more to come!

65 years ago this evening, on January 7, 1959, CBS televised the fourth (and final) Timex All Star Jazz Show. Like the previous three, it featured Louis Armstrong heavily, including his one and onl…

01/03/2025

Today would have been the 91st birthday of Louis Armstrong's close friend and personal photographer, Jack Bradley! Since Jack's passing in 2021, we have published 55 separate "That's My Home" posts on his relationship with Louis and for his birthday, we just published number 56, this one made up of images Bradley took at Louis's funeral and at the filming of a tribute CBS put together with Dizzy Gillespie, Bobby Hackett, Tyree Glenn, Budd Johnson, Earl Hines, Milt Hinton, Buddy Rich, and Peggy Lee! As a bonus, we've included footage of that tribute--check it out at the link below!

Today would have been the 91st birthday of Jack Bradley, Louis Armstrong’s close friend and personal photographer for the last decade of his life. Ever since Jack passed away in March 2021, w…

12/25/2024

Merry Christmas, everyone! To celebrate the holiday, we are offering a brand new "That's My Home" post with an over an hour of audio from a tape recorded by Louis Armstrong at the Los Angeles home of his friend Stuff Crouch on Christmas Day in 1950! You'll hear Louis and Stuff spinning holiday tunes and Armstrong classics while Louis wishes listeners a Merry Christmas, talks to his goddaughter, Julie Crouch, and even makes his toy Boston terrier General bark! Also don't miss a special appearance by Scatman Crothers performing "Waiting for My Baby." Enjoy--and have a Yule that's Cool!

Happy Holidays, everyone! When it comes to the Christmas season, Louis Armstrong has become almost as much of a mainstay as Santa Claus; the holiday compilation Louis Wishes You a Cool Yule ended u…

12/23/2024

In April 1957, popular jazz disc jockey Al “Jazzbo” Collins sat down with Louis Armstrong for an hourlong interview that was broadcast one time on WRCA radio in New York. Fortunately, the station sent Armstrong a copy of the conversation on reel-to-reel tape and Louis added it to his private collection. Today, as a holiday gift of sorts for our longtime supporters, we have shared the complete audio on our “That’s My Home” site along with photographs, more context, and even a playlist—enjoy!

LINK IN STORY AND BELOW!

https://virtualexhibits.louisarmstronghouse.org/2024/12/20/my-lifes-an-open-book-al-jazzbo-collins-interviews-louis-armstrong-april-1957/

12/20/2024

From December 10th to December 31st, every donation enters you into a raffle to win a Louis Wishes You a Cool Yule record, generously provided by Verve Records! 🎶

We’re excited to share that we’re already at 60% of our goal! This week, we’re celebrating the Armstrongs’ Christmas Cards Through the Years—heartfelt notes that captured their deep connection to the community.

Today, we’re proud to continue that spirit of connection and care through our Corona Collections Project. Louis and Lucille Armstrong didn’t just live in Corona; they belonged to it. Louis’s love for the neighborhood shone through—whether he was reserving front-row seats at the Roxy for local children or reflecting on their lives in his iconic What a Wonderful World: “I hear babies cry, I watch them grow. They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know.”

Donate through the link in bio!

12/20/2024

In April 1957, popular jazz disc jockey Al "Jazzbo" Collins sat down with Louis Armstrong for an hourlong interview that was broadcast one time on WRCA radio in New York. Fortunately, the station sent Armstrong a copy of the conversation on reel-to-reel tape and Louis added it to his private collection. Today, as a holiday gift of sorts for our longtime supporters, we have shared the complete audio on our "That's My Home" site along with photographs, more context, and even a playlist--enjoy!

Our previous post discussed the inspiration behind Louis Armstrong’s composition, “Someday You’ll Be Sorry,” and the similarities between that song and “Goodnight Ange…