Last Louis Armstrong Trumpet Recordings Released

Louis Armstrong’s final recording was released to the public for the first time Friday and was selling well. The live recording, made on Jan. 29, 1971, just months before Armstrong’s death, captures the master singing and playing the trumpet at the National Press Club in Washington, in celebration of fellow Louisiana native Vernon Louviere’s induction as club president. Because of ailing health, Armstrong had not performed much in public in the preceding years. He surprised the Press Club audience when he pulled out his trumpet, but only for two songs, including “Hello Dolly.” His only later performances on trumpet were quick snippets on TV. A limited release of 300 LPs was made of the performance at the time, distributed to audience members only.“I wanted the neighborhood to be proud of their Louis,” he sings in “Boy from New Orleans” on the recording. "Now all through the years, folks I've had a ball. Oh, thank you Lord. And I want to thank you all. You were very kind to old Satchmo... Just a boy from New Orleans."In retrospect, knowing that it was the end of his life, Ricky Riccardi, archivist for the Louis Armstrong House Museum, said it does sound like “one final thank you to the fans who made him what he was.”