According to reports in various publications, a half-hour film of Louis Armstrong in the recording studio in 1959, as well as two 1928 tracks described as “crystal clear” in fidelity, have been recently unearthed. The 1959 film, acquired by the Louis Armstrong House Museum, captures Armstrong recording his album Satchmo Plays King Oliver in Los Angeles for the Audio Fidelity label. It is the only known footage of Armstrong working inside of a recording studio. According to the published reports, producer Sid Frey commissioned the film but did not use it for anything and it sat in a storage facility until now.
In an unrelated discovery, two 1928 Armstrong audio tracks, one featuring Louis Armstrong and His Orchestra performing “Ain’t Misbehavin'” and the other featuring Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five performing “Knee Drops” in Chicago, have surfaced on YouTube.
A 1928 recording of Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, performing “Hot and Bothered,” has also surfaced.
Both of the audio recordings were made for OKeh Records and the metal “mother records” were sent to Germany, remaining unheard until now.
