[Dixielandjazz] Forest Whitaker to direct and star in Satchmo biopic

[Nancy Giffin]

I noticed some discussion of trumpeters who sound like Louis Armstrong.
Jon-Erik was mentioned, from whom I hear a bit of "Wild Bill" influence
(with that "dirty" cornet sound). Another who would like to be considered
would be Duke Heitger, now living in New Orleans (and who also claims Ruby
Braff as a strong influence). Randy Reinhart is a fine musician with a lot
of finesse who favors classic jazz over modern.

For anyone in Northern California, there is a 24-year-old
trumpeter/guitarist in Oakland who captures the soul of Louis' music, and
his chops "ain't too shabby neither." His name is Lech Wierzynski, and he
has toured with Maria Muldaur, who said of him: "Lech plays that horn like
Louis Armstrong, and I wouldn¹t throw that around lightly." She also said
that he plays like an old soul despite his baby face. It's great to see a
younger person who loves and appreciates jazz, blues, and gospel, and who
can express it with so much soul when performing.

Steve mentioned Bent Persson, who has been focused on the music of Louis
Armstrong. You can hear some of his audio samples at his website.
http://www.visit.se/~bentpersson/

In the end, Hollywood being what it is, they will probably choose someone
who is fairly talented but, more importantly, is well connected in the biz.