Louis Armstrong House Museum Hosts Jazzmobile Block Party and Hot Jazz/Cool Garden Concert, 8/16 & 18

Summer with Satchmo continues with two great concerts next week at the Louis Armstrong House Museum-the free Jazzmobile Block Party with Arturo O'Farrill and the Hot Jazz / Cool Garden Concert with Lucky Dogs. Details below!

Jazzmobile Block Party
On Thursday evening, August 16th Louis Armstrong House Museum will close off 107th Street in front of the museum to present its annual free block party presented by Jazzmobile as part of their 48th annual "Summerfest" concert series. The great Arturo O'Farrill will perform at 7:00 pm. Mexican-born pianist, composer, educator and winner of the Latin Jazz USA Outstanding Achievement Award for 2003, Arturo O'Farrill will heat things up in front of Louis's house.

New this year, as a special kick off to the concert, Louis Armstrong House Museum will sponsor a hula hoop contest in Louis's Garden & the Queens Museum of Art will present a free art making workshop for kids & families beginning at 5:00 pm. Also, a number of gourmet food trucks from the NYC Food Truck Association have joined forces with event planners to sell their yummy treats! There will be plenty of delicacies from Mike & Willies, Nuchas Empanadas, Domo Taco and Palenque Homemade Columbian Food and to fuel hungry concert-goers.

Jazzmobile was founded in 1964 by National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, composer, pianist, educator, jazz legend Dr. Billy Taylor and arts administrator Ms. Daphne Arnstein. Jazzmobile's mission is to present, preserve, promote and propagate America's classical music Jazz. It is the oldest not-for-profit organization founded with this as its sole mission. Go to www.jazzmobile.org for more information.

Hot Jazz / Cool Garden Concert
On Saturday, August 18th, the Louis Armstrong House Museum presents the final installment of the Hot Jazz / Cool Garden Concert series featuring the Lucky Dogs Jazz Band. Concert tickets are $15.00 and include a historic house tour of the museum.

The Lucky Dogs Jazz Band plays New Orleans jazz the old-fashioned way by putting their spin on music from King Oliver to the King of Soul just as New Orleans music floated upriver to Chicago in 1923. The Lucky Dogs Jazz Band keeps dance floors moving with a freight train pulse, tightly woven horn ensembles, and expert solos. In 2010, the band completed a recording titled "We Will Walk Through the Streets of this City". A love letter to the classics that inspire the band, it draws from the Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, and Louis Armstrong books. Through a real organic process, the song was tracked live in a few hours in a loft in Brooklyn.

For the Hot Jazz / Cool Garden concert, the Lucky Dogs Jazz Band will feature Louis Armstrong's music which will include many songs from 1923 onward-that aren't often played by dance bands. This is a great chance to get your swing on one last time this summer in Louis's Garden.

The Louis Armstrong House Museum is located at 34-56 107th Street in Corona, Queens. The museum is open Tuesday - Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday/Sunday from 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm. Guided 40-minute house tours start every hour on the hour. The last tour of the day is at 4:00 pm. The gift shop, exhibit area and garden can be explored before or after the tour.

Parking is available within the neighborhood and the museum is accessible by subway via the 7 train. Camp and tourist groups are encouraged. Reservations can be made at www.LouisArmstrongHouse.org.

More Articles by This Author...