Hofstra University Hosts Satchmo Symposium

Hofstra University’s athletic teams used to be known as the “Flying Dutchmen,” but are now called the “Pride.” In an attempt to recapture some of the coolness that was lost in the name switch, the Hofstra Cultural Center will host a symposium on the life and career of Louis Armstrong Nov. 15-17, featuring lectures, concerts and films. The symposium celebrates the 100th anniversary of Armstrong’s birth.

The symposium actually gets an early start on Nov. 14, when trumpeter Byron Stripling will perform as a guest artist with the Hofstra Jazz Ensemble. The proceeds from this concert will go to the Peter B. Clark Memorial Scholarship Fund to help train young Pride in jazz. Nov. 16 brings “A Salute to Satchmo: Then and Now Jazz Concert,” which will juxtapose the Louis Armstrong Alumni Band and the Armstrong Legacy Band; the two bands will join forces for the grand finale. On Nov. 17, Lincoln Center will bring “Reel to Real: What a Wonderful World, Celebrating Louis Armstrong’s 100th Birthday” to Hofstra’s Monroe Lecture Center.

Participants in the hard-core scholarship include Phil Schaap, historian and producer of the Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings; impresario George Wein; Johnnie Blowers and Randy Sandke from the Armstrong Alumni and Armstrong Legacy, respectively; Jack Bradley, Armstrong’s friend and photographer; Marc H. Miller, editor of Louis Armstrong: A Cultural Legacy; and many other writers, scholars and musicians.

For more information, call the Hofstra Cultural Center at (516) 463-5669.

Originally Published November 13, 2001