NEW YORK (AP) - Jazz enthusiasts celebrating Louis Armstrong's 100th birthday say the legendary
trumpeter's legacy grows stronger each year. "Louis Armstrong created something with his music.
It was an American style of music, and this is the way we can keep him alive," said Clarence Williams,
70, one of several hundred people at a concert at the City University of New York on Saturday.

Armstrong is recognized as one of the leading figures in the creation of jazz. His trumpet playing on a
series of records in the mid-1920s laid the foundation for much of the improvised jazz instrumental
playing that would follow. Many people remember Armstrong more for his renditions of popular songs,
including "Hello, Dolly" and "It's a Wonderful World," which knocked the Beatles off the top of the
charts in the mid-1960s. The concert was one of many events around the country to commemorate
Armstrong's Aug. 4 birthday.
 
 

I cut a story out of the paper that never made it to these pages.
I remember most of it, like to hear it?
Here it go...

In the early sixties, right after the Wall went up in Berlin, Louie and some other jazz dudes
were in West Berlin playing clubs. For some reason (don't ask me) when the West Berlin
clubs shut down, some of the musicians still wanted to prowl and howl.

So Louie and another guy tried to sneak into East Berlin to go to their clubs.
They were caught, naturally, by the East German guards, but when the guards
realized it was Louie f-ing Armstrong, they kept saying "Louie! Louie!"
and they let Louie and his buddy thru the gate to go to their jazz clubs.

Louie said for a week or longer, the two of then snuck past the Wall every night
to jam with the East berlin jazz musicians.

I think that's a cool story.