With the upcoming Louis Armstrong’s Wonderful World Festival set to take place this Saturday, June 20th, we sat down with a few of the artists on the lineup to discuss Satchmo’s lasting legacy on the world of music and culture. A lineup steeped in culture, diversity, and talent with Ms. Lauryn Hill, Rebirth Brass Band, Ozomatli, Antibalas, and Shannon Powell’s Traditional All-Star Band (as well as DJ Cochon de Lait, DJ Rekha, and Sultan Balkanero), Armstrong most certainly would have been proud to have been the namesake of such an incredible lineup of musicians. GA Tickets are currently sold out, but VIP Donor Packages are still available HERE. The festival will be held at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, NY (where Armstrong lived for many years) from 12pm – 8pm.

Over the last century, no musician has had the lasting influence, cultural impact, significance and as recognizable a name as Louis Armstrong. The New Orleans born trumpet player’s name is synonymous with jazz, and you can’t have a conversation about the genre without discussing the legacy of the man that many called “Satchmo” or “Pops“. Armstrong grew up in the New Orleans neighborhood better known as “The Battlefield” in the early 20th century, where he earned money by singing on street corners at night, working as a paperboy, and hauling coal. He was given some structure by the Karnofsky’s (who he later wrote a memoir about), a Lithuanian-Jewish immigrant family that gave him work, took him in, fed him, and gave him the closest thing to a real family structure Louis had ever known.

The mainly self-taught child prodigy of both the cornet and trumpet went on to support himself as a musician, playing on the streets and with local bands, eventually making the move to Chicago to join Joe “King” Oliver and his Creole Jazz Band, and not long after that his star began to rise. By the 1930’s and 40’s he was a bona fide international star, transcending all racial barriers that existed at the time, and was a main impetus behind President Eisenhower‘s decision to desegregate schools after the events that transpired in Little Rock, AK. There has never been a better ambassador to music, culture, and worldly positivity than Louis Armstrong.

“And all I’m saying is, see what a wonderful world it would be if only we would give it a chance. Love, baby, love. That’s the secret. Yeah.” – Louis Armstrong’s spoken word intro on It’s A Wonderful World.

Live for Live Music sat down with Rebirth Brass Band, Antibalas, and Shannon Powell to discuss the importance of Louis Armstrong and the upcoming Wonderful World Festival. Rebirth Brass Band is a New Orleans institution. Formed in 1983 by brothers Phil and Keith Frazier, Rebirth has toured the world over with their Grammy award winning style of NOLA brass band funk.  Coming straight out of Brooklyn, Antibalas has played venues all over NYC, from clubs and cabarets whose doors are now shut, to Carnegie Hall, Central Park Summerstage, and even Rikers Island. The group has played with Allen Touissant, Public Enemy, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart, Jim James, and more since they began in 1998. Virtuoso jazz drummer Shannon Powell has toured internationally and played with acts such as Ellis Marsalis, Harry Connick, Jr., Willie Metcalf Jr., Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis & the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Diana Krall, Dr. John, John Scofield, Jason Marsalis, and Nicholas Payton, just to name a few.

L4LM: Flushing Meadows Corona Park, site of the World’s Fair, is the grounds for the Wonderful World festival. How does it feel to, not only have played all over the world, but to be playing such a historically significant site?

Antibalas: Traveling around the world makes you a better, more well rounded citizen. I think travel has made us both more critical of the United States for its deficiencies but also grateful and appreciative of opportunities and channels that exist for us to do what we do here.

Shannon Powell: I couldn’t be more happy to be playing such a beautiful location in the city that never sleeps. It’s an honor.

L4LM: Having been born and raised in New Orleans (just blocks from where Louis born and raised), Jazz music runs through your veins. What was your first musical inspiration that led you down your current path?

Rebirth: My brother Phil and I were born in the 9th ward, and you basically eat, sleep, and live music, so everything starts at a very early age.

Shannon Powell: When I was five years old, a jazz funeral passed by my house.  I was so fascinated by the music, particularly the snare drum and the bass drum.  The New Orleans syncopated rhythm was what I was hearing.  Not only was I engrossed in the rhythms, but others around me were dancing to these incredible beats.  Those rhythms have captivated me all my career.

L4LM: How has Louis Armstrong and jazz music influenced your own music?

Rebirth: Growing up in New Orleans, you can sort of compare it to this – in other parts of the country, kids want to grow up to be the President, or some famous actor, but where we are from you want to grow up to be Louis Armstrong, he is the top of the ladder when it comes to that. You can’t go anywhere down here without hearing Louis’ musical influence.

Antibalas: A lot of the core principles of jazz, like call and response figures, improvisation and the concept of swinging influence our music a lot. Since the main root of the music we play comes from Nigeria, West Africa, it has a different accent and comes out differently, but if you look at the structure of the music itself, you’ll see a lot of similarities to jazz and New Orleans music. Louis Armstrong was one of the main ambassadors of these concepts to the mainstream American listening public early in the last century and made it possible for everyone–both musicians and listeners who came after to enjoy a deeper and more expanded musical landscape.

Shannon Powell: Pops has influenced me tremendously.  His style and showmanship just can’t be duplicated.  Not only was he a great trumpet player, but a singer too.  It all started with Pops.

L4LM: What’s your favorite Louis Armstrong song?

Antibalas: “St. James Infirmary”. People overlook how hard it is to play slow and still swing hard.

Shannon Powell: “When You’re Smilin” is my favorite song.  Pop’s delivery was great, his phrasing and style was impeccable.  The tempo is a nice medium swing, a nice soothing tempo.  I like it played best at that tempo.

L4LM: What are your thoughts on Louis’ legacy, and his lasting influence on music, culture and music education?

Antibalas: Louis Armstrong was a giant, and so multi-faceted. He had a friendly demeanor and mass appeal which leads to people sometimes to overlook the fact that he was a intensely deep thinker with a nuanced perspective on US and global politics and had a lot of powerful and radical opinions which get glossed over or omitted from history.

Shannon Powell: As musicians, we have to keep Pop’s legacy going. We can’t ever stop talking about him. Pop’s journey was incredible.  He came from the streets of New Orleans, playing from his guts. Eventually he went on to transform a whole music genre, leaving much music for the world to enjoy.  We owe him so much for what he did for the music.  Even though Pops did not get the notoriety he really deserved initially in New Orleans, he has done so much for the City.  He is our native son, our treasure.

L4LM: Are you excited to play the Wonderful World festival?

Rebirth: Anytime we get to come to New York City is special, but getting to honor Louis Armstrong at the same time makes this just that much more special.

Antibalas: We are thrilled to play the Wonderful World Festival. The lineup is world class and there’s nothing better than to get to perform outdoors for free to a multi-generational audience in our favorite city in the world.

Shannon Powell: I am very excited, and I feel very blessed. We take this event seriously, and are honored to be a part of the Festival.

L4LM: Any special Louis tribute in store for us the day of the show?

Rebirth: Definitely don’t want to give anything away, but I’m sure something by Louis will find its way into our set.

Shannon Powell:  Yes, I have something VERY special. Everyone needs to be there to find out what it will be.  No reveals.

 

– Chris Meyer (@ChrisMeyerL4LM)