Over Louis Armstrong‘s 50 year career, the musical icon left an unfathomable impression on the world and touched the local jazz scene of Queens, New York, with the impeccable sound of his trumpet. Now in its fourth year, Louis Armstrong’s Wonderful World Festival returns to the New Orleans-born icon’s longtime New York City home at Flushing Meadows Corona Park for a day-long festival on July 8.
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Contemporary jazz torchbearer and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste is curating the event and will also headline it, playing with his band Stay Human. Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks and members of the Dap-Kings are also set to perform.
“Louis Armstrong was a God-gifted cultural amalgamation of all the best that America has to offer: He was an artist and humanitarian of the highest order,” Batiste said in a statement. “Armed with visionary, interpretational genius, and an irrepressible charisma, he broke down artistic, racial, social, and cultural barriers. Using his nonpareil trumpet ability, he reinvented American music. This festival is a celebration of what his legacy means to me… I couldn’t be more excited to light up Queens, his home away from home.”
Additionally, the Louis Armstrong House Museum will be open during the festival and will feature a new exhibit in honor of the event.
Louis Armstrong’s Wonderful World Festival is produced by the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College along with partners Queens College/CUNY, the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and the Louis Armstrong House Museum, with additional funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Goldenvoice, and Panorama Music Festival.
Register for the free event here.