Music Concert Experience

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Music Museum Experience
Instead of going to a music concert, I opted to conduct a substantial visit of the wonderful Louis Armstrong Museum in Corona Park, Queens. There were not many local concerts, including American music. I preferred visiting the Louis Armstrong House, which is situated at 3456 107th St, Corona, NY 11368-1226. The historic house museum was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and is a tribute to the legacy of the legendary jazz vocalist and instrumentalist Louis Armstrong (also known as Satchmo by his beloved fans). It is a time capsule of Armstrong’s days with his wife, Lucille Wilson, who lived in residence from 1943 until the virtuoso died in 1971. I was interested in visiting the place because it presented concerts and cultural educational programs, including archives of Armstrong’s writings, recordings, and souvenirs.
The museum is still furnished like it was when the music legend and his wife lived there. My first impression upon entering the kitchen was that I was traveling back through time and peeking at Satchmo’s private life. For instance, the gleaming sky-blue kitchen cabinets reminded me of the jazz legend’s effusive personality, raspy voice, and ready smile. I had the opportunity to go through Armstrong’s recordings, writings, photos, and audio clips. I was surprised to learn from one of Armstrong’s letters that he chose to live in the rather modest house and location out of his love for the working-class neighborhood. He bought the house even before he set foot into it. However, when he eventually moved in, he decided to stay for good. He appreciated the great support from the residents. He was even inspired to write his famous song “It’s a Wonderful Life”. The jazz maestro’s archive of audio clips was even more impressive, particularly the series of previously unheard music.
Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation agreed with Dot Time Record to release an archive of recordings, including radio broadcasts and live concerts, that were not publicly available. I was glad to listen to the museum’s limited-run vinyl versions. One recording that made a mark on me was the audio clip of his performance on French radio. The Live in France record is quite impressive for a previously unheard production and reminded me of his popular band Hot Five when he was not performing solo. Composed of the band leader (Armstrong), singer (Brown), clarinetist (Bigard), trombone player (Tegarden), drummer (Catlett), and bassist (Shaw), Hot Five is a refreshing burst of Armstrong’s famous days. The audio clip starts with a slow, bluesy tone, “Rockin Chair,” with Satchmo leading the response bits and Teagarden handling the main vocal. The next two songs, “Rose Room” and “Panama,” are equally rememberable with the exploratory soloing and varied atypical tunes. However, the brilliance of Satchmo shines through in the final cut, “Sunny Side,” which is noticeably more muted than the preceding tracks.
Armstrong also takes the lead vocal in the emotional “Black and Blue,” His raspy voice complements the song’s deft piano work. The aud...