Verve Records has announced Louis In London, the last great performance by one of the most influential American musicians of all time, Louis Armstrong.
The album was recorded live at the BBC on July 2, 1968—just weeks after the groundbreaking Grammy Award-winning artist hit the No.1 spot on the UK charts with “What A Wonderful World.”
The 13-track collection will be released on standard black and exclusive blue vinyl, CD, and digital, on July 12. The release is accompanied by extensive liner notes from Armstrong’s biographer and Director of Research Collections for the Louis Armstrong House Museum, Ricky Riccardi.
In July 1968, Armstrong and his renowned band, The All-Stars, traveled to England and entered the BBC’s London studios to record a performance, full of vitality and joy, that manifested some of the most inspired singing and trumpet playing of his remarkable career.
Captured in high fidelity audio and video, Louis In London presents Armstrong delivering everything from the first composition he’s known to have played in public—W.C. Handy’s “Ole Miss”—to the chart-topping “What A Wonderful World.”
He also offers classic versions of such worldwide hits as “Mack The Knife” and “Hello, Dolly!,” the latter of which has premiered alongside a high definition official performance video streaming now at YouTube. Check that out above.
First broadcast on September 22, 1968 as BBC TV’s “Show Of The Week – Louis Armstrong,” the session poignantly proved to be Armstrong’s last great performance. From the moment Armstrong received a copy of the 1968 London recording, he became determined for the world to hear this music, affixing a note to the outside of the tape box on which he wrote, “For The Fans.”
Armstrong sent copies of the BBC concert to friends and played them whenever he received visitors. Though he could have chosen any number of remarkable recordings, including his iconic collaborations with Ella Fitzgerald, he instead returned again and again to the BBC session from the summer of 1968.