Louis In London (Vinyl)

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 on YouTube.

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.