Jazz Lecture Examines Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans

French Quarter Fest Program includes presentation and live performance



WHO: The Historic New Orleans Collection with

Speaker: Thomas Brothers, author and Duke University professor

Musicians: Clive Wilson (trumpet) and Butch Thompson (piano)



WHAT: The Tenth Annual Bill Russell Lecture: “Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans”



WHEN: Friday, April 17, 2009 • 7:00 p.m.



WHERE: Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street

French Quarter, New Orleans, LA



HOW: The lecture is free and open to the public. Seating is limited; for reservations, call (504) 523-4662. For more information, visit www.hnoc.org.

Caption Information: Louis Armstrong with his mother and sister Beatrice, ca. 1920; The Historic New Orleans Collection, William Russell Jazz Collection, Clarisse Claiborne Grima Fund Purchase (MSS 520,f.2042)



WHY: Author Thomas Brothers will be the featured speaker at The Historic New Orleans Collection’s annual Bill Russell Lecture on Friday, April 17, at the Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street. The event is free and open to the public.



In a presentation titled “Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans,” Brothers will discuss New Orleans and its developing music scene in the early 20th century, while also examining the first 21 years of Louis Armstrong’s life. Brothers received his Ph.D. in music from the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of Louis Armstrong’s New Orleans (W.W. Norton, 2006) and a professor of music at Duke University. Local musicians Clive Wilson (trumpet) and Butch Thompson (piano) will perform as part of Brothers’ presentation.



This year marks the 10th anniversary of The Collection’s Bill Russell Lecture, which is dedicated to New Orleans jazz and presented in conjunction with French Quarter Fest. The series honors the life and work of noted jazz historian William Russell, born Russell William Wagner (1905–1992). As a jazz historian and collector, Russell focused on traditional New Orleans–style jazz and related musical forms such as brass band, ragtime and gospel music. He amassed an extensive collection of memorabilia, including musical instruments, records, piano rolls, sheet music, photographs, books and periodicals. His collection traces the development of jazz in New Orleans and follows the movement of musicians to New York, Chicago, California and beyond. The William Russell Collection encompasses notes from Russell’s research, audiotapes, programs, posters, correspondence, films, business cards, notes, clippings and scrapbooks. The William Russell Jazz Collection is part of The Historic New Orleans Collection’s permanent holdings. The materials are available to the public at the Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres Street.