Recording Of 1957 Louis Armstrong Highland Park High School Concert To Be Released Friday

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — A 1957 Louis Armstrong one-night-only performance at Highland Park High School is set to release this week, bringing a local fundraiser concert into wider circulation nearly seven decades later.

“Louis Armstrong: One Night in Highland Park” will be out November 13.

According to Verve Records, Armstrong and his All Stars played at the school on March 19, 1957, for a fundraiser concert attended by 1,200 people. Student stage manager Joel Goldstein captured the performance on tape at the time.

The release centers on a moment that stands apart from the better-known major venues in Armstrong’s career. Throughout his career, Armstrong performed on some of the world’s most iconic stages and brought his sound to audiences around the globe, but this concert took place in a high school auditorium.

“This is that kind of rare thing where we get to hear what did Louis Armstrong sound like on a one-nighter when he's just there playing. He's not in Carnegie Hall. He's not in Madison Square Garden. He's playing a high school auditorium in the middle of nowhere,” said Ricky Riccardi, director of research collections for the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

According to Verve Records, 1957 was a pivotal year for Armstrong. As “Ambassador Satch,” he traveled the world for the U.S. State Department, even as he publicly challenged the government over the Little Rock desegregation crisis.

The lineup for this version of the All Stars, which the source says Armstrong had formed a decade earlier, included Barrett Deems on drums, Squire Gersh on bass, Edmond Hall on clarinet, Billy Kyle on piano and Trummy Young on trombone.

The tracklist for the release includes “When It’s Sleepy Time Down South,” “Indiana,” “The Gypsy,” “Ole Miss,” “High Society Calypso,” “Blueberry Hill,” “Tin Roof Blues,” “My Bucket’s Got a Hole In It,” “Mack The Knife,” “Tiger Rag,” “When The Saints Go Marching In” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”