Queens just became the jazz capital of a beautiful story that crosses the Atlantic. On October 1, the Louis Armstrong House Museum opened Armstrong in Ghana, a year-long exhibition and music exchange celebrating the 70th anniversary of Louis Armstrong’s legendary 1956 concert tour to Accra.
The exhibition traces Satchmo’s travels across Africa in the 1950s and 60s, with Ghana at the heart of it all. It was the only African country he visited more than once — and the one where he said he felt a powerful sense of belonging. Curated by Executive Director Regina Bain, the show draws on the museum’s remarkable 60,000-piece Armstrong Archive: rare photographs, recordings, documents and artifacts from those historic tours.
But this is far more than a look back. New commissions by contemporary artists such as Stephen Towns and Rita Mawuena Benissan debut throughout the year, alongside works by Kaloki Nyamai, Aaron Douglas and John Biggers. Live music is woven into the experience too, with performances from Chief Adjuah, Kweku Sumbry and the Ghana Jazz Collective, plus a listening session featuring the museum’s own recording of Armstrong’s 1956 concert at the Accra Opera House.
After its New York run, the exhibition travels to Accra with the Nubuke Foundation in fall 2027 — completing a cultural exchange seven decades in the making. Now on view at the Louis Armstrong Center in Corona, Queens. Admission details at louisarmstronghouse.org.
Photo: World Telegram & Sun, 1953 — public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
