New Orleans will honor its favorite musical son this summer with a series of tributes to the late jazz great Louis Armstrong, who would have turned 100 on August 4.
At the top of the list is "Satchmo to Marsalis: A Tribute to the Fathers of Jazz," a concert on the trumpeter's birthday featuring Wynton Marsalis and his brothers — Branford, Delfeayo and Jason — along with their father, Ellis Marsalis. The concert, which will also feature Harry Connick Jr., will be held at the University of New Orleans, where the elder Marsalis teaches music.
The concert is part of the August 2-5 weekend's worth of events paying tribute to the man who served as jazz's ambassador to the world for much of the 20th century. Other events include the Louis Armstrong Centennial Conference, an academic confab to be held at the Louisiana State Museum, and Satchmo's Summerfest, three days' worth of local music and food in the French Quarter.
Also in the works is a proposal by New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial to rename the city's airport Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport. The airport's aviation board has passed a recommendation in favor of the change, which now awaits city council approval. Airport officials expect the name change to be official by August 2, according to a spokesperson.
Armstrong died in 1971.
