Louie and Lil Armstrong and the History of Jazz

The birth of jazz and all its offshoots is due in large part to Louie Armstrong. Armstrong’s guiding light was his wife, Lil Hardin Armstrong, a pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader and one of the most prominent women in early jazz. We’ll relive some of those great jazz moments with Trumpeter Tony Smith and tunes by this innovative couple, including “West End Blues,” “Blue Turning Gray,” “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue,” and “Just for a Thrill.”