WEST END BLOG

“Alexa, play “Some Day” by Louis Armstrong, on repeat,” I say, desperately needing something to bring the gears of my brain that have been constantly fixated on the concept of… Read more

In April of 1933 rising star Louis Armstrong made headlines when a British tabloid newspaper known as the Daily Express declared him deceased. The front-page article offered no cause of… Read more

The year was 1914, he was 13 years old in New Orleans, Louisiana.  The year was 2008, she was 13 years old in Coconut Creek, Florida. 1 state, 830 miles… Read more

Within the American music industry well-known performers must deal with a variety of challenges such as the pressures of fame, loneliness, adrenaline highs and lows, public scrutiny, creative blocks, round-the-clock… Read more

In the most recent weeks, I have been working towards creating a virtual tour about Louis through the voices and perspectives of women in his life, along with Maglyn Bertrand,… Read more

In my last post, I raised questions concerning Armstrong and his musical taste: How and when did Armstrong acquire his musical taste? In what ways did “good music” impact his… Read more

…Well, what is progressive? You tell me cause all we play is good music. We never did worry about styles. There ain’t no such thing as styles in music. There… Read more

A few of my past blog posts have briefly mentioned what America was like when Louis Armstrong was born in the southern state of Louisiana. To elaborate further I would… Read more

Louis Armstrong (1901-1971) and Bing Crosby (1903-1977) are two of the most well-known performers of the twentieth century. Born three years apart in states at opposite ends of the country,… Read more

Typically the game was very simple. The rules were that someone from the group would knock on the chosen door really hard, then everyone takes off running in any direction…. Read more