[Dixielandjazz] Louis Armstrong in Europe -- Satchmo SummerFest

[Robert Ringwald]

European Footage Gives Satchmo SummerFest Crowd a Look at 'the Whole Satchmo'
by Laura McKnight
New Orleans Times-Picayune, August 4, 2012
Louis Armstrong made frequent appearances on U.S. television for interviews or a
song or two, but the European media recognized the charismatic musician's ability
to hold audience attention for much longer.
"Europe got Louis Armstrong early and knew that this was someone we should put a
camera in front of all the time," said Ricky Riccardi, who presented clips of Armstrong's
European performances during today's Satchmo SummerFest.
Riccardi, archivist for the Louis Armstrong House Museum in New York, said unlike
American media, television studios throughout Western Europe captured entire concerts
by Satchmo, providing today's audiences with important footage of an American icon.
"They show him in his element, which is on stage," Riccardi said. "He lived for his
audiences."
Today's seminar, "Cinematic Satch: Louis Armstrong in Europe," forms the second in
a series of three "Cinematic Satch" seminars presented by Riccardi this year.
The series kicked off Friday, Aug. 3, with "Louis Armstrong on Television" and concludes
at 5 p.m. Sunday with "Louis Armstrong on Film." The last session, also set on the
third floor of the Old U.S. Mint, 500 Esplanade Ave., features highlights from Armstrong's
film career, ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to rarely-seen pieces.
Today's seminar focused on clips of Armstrong and his band performing for live European
audiences from the 1930s through the 1960s. Riccardi provided bits of background
on each performance but mainly played the footage, allowing Armstrong to entertain
the festival crowd.
The visual element allows audiences to experience more of Armstrong's energy, he
said.
"You're watching him sing and play the trumpet and make faces," he said. "You get
the whole Louis Armstrong."
Indeed, a 1962 performance in Germany showcased Satchmo's engaging stage persona
as he taunted the camera with "I'll Be Glad When You're Dead, You Rascal You." Armstrong
had today's audience laughing with his comedic facial expressions and playful delivery
of the lyrics, which take on a punch-line quality.
The festival crowd watched as a 32-year-old Armstrong gave a vibrant performance
of "Dinah" for an audience in 1933 Denmark. They watched as Armstrong wowed a 1959
crowd in Amsterdam with "When It's Sleepytime Down South" and "Indiana." They bobbed
their heads as Armstrong and his All-Stars dished out the "Basin Street Blues" for
a German audience in that same era.
"The All-Stars were such an insanely swinging band," Riccardi noted. "Louis Armstrong
practically invented swing."
The crowd chuckled as America's "Ambassador of Goodwill" showed up a camera during
a 1967 performance in France. The camera blocked the view for an entire section of
the audience and not to be outdone, Armstrong played into the camera, marching the
equipment back until the audience could see the stage. In the background, Armstrong's
piano player can be seen laughing hysterically as the trumpeter continues performing
"A Kiss to Build a Dream On."
"Bless the Europeans for filming all this," Riccardi told the crowd.
As audiences in 1930s Denmark and 1960s Germany clapped loudly for Armstrong, the
applause was echoed by today's New Orleans audience.
The last clip showed Armstrong in England in 1968, performing "What a Wonderful World"
on BBC. The song was largely ignored in America, partly due to lack of promotion,
but British listeners quickly realized its beauty, Riccardi said. In the clip, a
thinner but still grinning Armstrong serenades the crowd, which claps loudly.
Here in New Orleans, an appreciative crowd likewise burst into applause, cheering
at last for the celebrated ballad by its native son.


-Bob Ringwald
www.ringwald.com
Amateur (ham) Radio Operator K6YBV
916/ 806-9551

At the Irish wedding reception the D.J. yelled...
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The bartender was almost crushed to death.