Tune in on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on 90.1 FM, and streaming at wrti.org, for a special edition of The Late Set Radio Hour: Satchmo at Home.
Few musicians loom larger in American culture than Louis Armstrong. His trumpet changed the course of jazz. His voice became one of the most recognizable sounds of the 20th century. But beyond the recordings, the sold-out concerts, and worldwide fame was a man who cherished something surprisingly ordinary: home.
In this episode, WRTI's Nicole Sweeney takes listeners inside the world of Louis Armstrong through an exclusive visit to the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens. Guided by historian and author Ricky Riccardi, Director of Research Collections at the museum, the program explores the modest house Armstrong shared with his wife Lucille for nearly three decades — a place that remained his refuge even as he became one of the most celebrated entertainers on Earth.
Recorded on location, the episode features rare archival audio, stories from Armstrong's collection, and a behind-the-scenes look at the thousands of tapes, photographs, scrapbooks, and artifacts he preserved throughout his life. Listeners will hear how a boy raised in poverty in New Orleans became a global ambassador for American music while maintaining deep ties to the working-class neighborhood he loved.
The music spans Armstrong's extraordinary career, from the revolutionary Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings of the 1920s to beloved later performances with the All Stars. Along the way, we hear reflections on Armstrong's enduring influence from fellow New Orleans trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and discover how songs like "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" and "What a Wonderful World" took on new meaning through the lens of Armstrong's life.
This episode of the Late Set Radio Hour comes just in time for "America 250" and serves as a portrait of an American artist who spent decades touring the globe but never stopped searching for a place to belong. It's the story of Louis Armstrong not just as a jazz giant, but as a husband, neighbor, archivist, and proud resident of Corona, Queens — a man whose remarkable life still echoes through the home he left behind.
Setlist:
- "St. Louis Blues" (Handy) from the album Louis Armstrong Plays W. C. Handy
- "Muskrat Ramble” (Ory) from the album Ambassador Satch
- "Potato Head Blues" (Louis Armstrong)
- "Jazz Lips" (Lil Hardin Amrstrong, Louis Armstrong, Sid Robin) from the album Wynton Marsalis Plays Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens
- "Melancholy Blues" (Marty Bloom, Walter Melrose) from the album Wynton Marsalis Plays Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens
- "Stardust" (Hoagy Carmichael)
- "When It's Sleepy Time Down South" (Clarence Muse, Leon René, Otis René) from the album LOUIS IN LONDON
- "Mack the Knife" (Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brech) from the album LOUIS IN LONDON
- "What A Wonderful World" (Armstrong) from the album Louis Armstrong and His Friends
Production Credits:
Alex Ariff, Senior Producer
Nicole Sweeney, Host
Robert Webb, Mixing Engineer / Assistant Production Manager
Tyler McClure, Director of Operations and Production
Josh Jackson and Nate Chinen, Interviewer
Special thanks to Ricky Riccardi, Regina Bain and Jackie Harris
