Stepping inside the Louis Armstrong House Museum is like taking a step back in time. The jazz great lived here in the house on 107th Street in Corona, Queens with his wife, Lucille from 1943 until his death in 1971, and his widow continued to live there until her death in 1983.
The home has been perfectly preserved to look exactly how it did when the Armstrongs lived there and opened as a museum in 2003. Now, the museum is celebrating Black History Month with presentations about the life and legacy of the man many consider the most influential performer of the 20th century and a pioneer of both music and civil rights.
"He grew up in segregation, performed for segregated crowds for most of his career, but he's a guy who brought people from all around the world together, with his music and with his horn," says museum staff member Deslyn Dyer.
Armstrong is credited with completely changing the sound of jazz with his instantly recognizable voice and distinctive trumpet style. He spent many hours in the house's den recording music.
A millionaire, Armstrong acted in dozens of movies, wrote memoirs and traveled the world, yet chose to settle in Corona house, next door to Selma Heraldo, who still considers Armstrong to be family.
"He didn't care who you were. He was a loving man. That's all he wanted -- he loved everyone, black, blue, green, purple or gray," says Heraldo.
Phoebe Jacobs of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation met the man when he first started performing. She says he didn't see color and tells a story about when Armstrong was asked by a reporter how he felt about having a white pianist in his band, and he pointed to the piano's black and white keys and said you need both to make music.
"Louie was proud to be an American, and he felt that he belonged to the human race. And that's why it's important for people to celebrate him, for people to come to see where he lived and how he lived," says Jacobs. "He was very humble, he was very warm and you feel the spirit of him and his wife when you come to this house."
For more information on the museum, visit LouisArmstrongHouse.org.
http://www.ny1.com
No comments:
Post a Comment