The Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation (LAEF) and Columbia University’s Center for Jazz Studies will present the Louis Armstrong International Continuum, a free virtual symposium and concert, on Thursday, April 8 and Friday, April 9.
Curated by Center for Jazz Studies director Robert G. O’Meally, the symposium will feature performances by the James Zollar Quartet, with special guest Brianna Thomas, and Stefon Harris’ Blackout. In addition, Wynton Marsalis, René Marie, Jason Moran, and Bobby Sanabria will join Dr. Cornel West, Gina Belafonte, and Dan Morgenstern (among many others) to take part in the symposium’s panel discussions.
The free event will examine Armstrong’s life, art, and legacy through the lens of the Continuum’s theme, “Art in a Time of Emergency.” It is dedicated to the memory of Stanley Crouch, who served as president of the LAEF until his death in September 2020.
The Continuum’s opening sessions, including the concert, will take place on April 8 from 6:00 to 10:30 p.m. ET, and the event will continue from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET on April 9. Morgenstern will be presented with the LAEF’s Lifetime Achievement Award on the 8th, while bassist Ron Carter will receive the organization’s Satchmo Award on the 9th.
The event is free, but registration is required at www.armstrongcontinuum.eventbrite.com. More information, including a full schedule, can be found at https://louisarmstrongfoundation.org/.
