Louis Armstrong was born on August 4, 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He grew from singing in the streets with a boys quartet for money at age 11 to becoming one of Jazz music’s most influential, charismatic, and memorable musicians. I love watching old recordings of Armstrong performing- joy covers every bit of his face as he sings and scats and his musicality comes naturally and effortlessly as he plays his trumpet. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Basin Street Blues- This 1926 song was made famous by Armstrong in 1928. We play it on the Trumpet and Snare Drum at TLB and kids (and parents) love it!

2. What a Wonderful World- This video has almost 30 millions views for good reason. Armstrong’s one-of-a-kind voice is perfectly captured in this performance of his 1967 standard.

3. When the Saints Go Marching In- In the 1930s, Armstrong’s feel-good version of this Gospel Hymn made it nationally known!