Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Vocalist Andy Bey Dies at 85
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…
New Orleans trumpeter Kermit Ruffins will headline the Louis Armstrong Wonderful World Festival in Queens, New York, on July 16.
(Photo: Courtesy Basin Street Records)The third annual Louis Armstrong’s Wonderful World festival will take place July 16 at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens, New York. The festival, which celebrates the life and legacy of the iconic trumpeter and longtime Queens resident, showcases a diverse music lineup and family-friendly activities.
Keyboardist/vocalist Dr. John, an icon of New Orleans’ music, will headline the festival, along with funk-jazz trio Soulive and Crescent City trumpeter Kermit Ruffins. World-music bands Samba New York, Dahka Band and Folklore Urbano will round out the lineup, adding variety to an eclectic daylong program.
The festival is produced by the Kupferberg Center for the Arts at Queens College. Jeffrey Rosenstock, executive director of Kupferberg Center for the Arts said, “Not only did Louis Armstrong call Queens his home, he believed in ‘listening to all kinds of music,’ music that can be heard daily throughout our borough’s multicultural communities. Louis traveled around the world sharing his music. Our goal this year is to celebrate his New Orleans roots, and showcase some of the incredible music being played in and around Queens by artists whose origins span the globe.”
The free, all-ages festival also explores the growing culture in Queens beyond music, providing opportunities for face painting, arts and crafts, dancing and a circus.
When not at the music stage or the activities, festival-goers can tour the Louis Armstrong House Museum, which will present a special exhibit for the festival. Armstrong lived at this location, now a National Historic Landmark, from 1943 until his death in 1971.
DownBeat subscribers will recall that the cover story for the October 2014 issue featured a photo session with trombonist Wycliffe Gordon at the Louis Armstrong House Museum.
The third annual Louis Armstrong’s Wonderful World festival will run from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on July 16. While the event is free, visitors are encouraged to register at the festival website.
“It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”
Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…
Foster was truly a drummer to the stars, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson.
Jun 3, 2025 11:25 AM
Al Foster, a drummer regarded for his fluency across the bebop, post-bop and funk/fusion lineages of jazz, died May 28…
Davis was a two-time Grammy winner for liner notes.
Apr 22, 2025 11:50 AM
Francis Davis, an august jazz and cultural critic who won both awards and esteem in print, film and radio, died April…
“Branford’s playing has steadily improved,” says younger brother Wynton Marsalis. “He’s just gotten more and more serious.”
May 20, 2025 11:58 AM
Branford Marsalis was on the road again. Coffee cup in hand, the saxophonist — sporting a gray hoodie and a look of…
“What did I want more of when I was this age?” Sasha Berliner asks when she’s in her teaching mode.
May 13, 2025 12:39 PM
Part of the jazz vibraphone conversation since her late teens, Sasha Berliner has long come across as a fully formed…
