Family Concert: Who is Louis Armstrong?

At Jazz at Lincoln Center, this family concert asks a plain question with a long shadow: who was Louis Armstrong, and what did he change. Through live jazz and spoken context, the program traces how Armstrong’s phrasing, time feel, and public persona helped move jazz from dance music to a modern art form, with New York as a key proving ground in his career. Featured performers include Michael Olatuja, Danilo Pérez, Godwin Louis, Ulysses Owens Jr., and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. One clear takeaway is how Armstrong’s sound still sets the terms for swing.