Louis Armstrong's 1957 High School Concert Released After 68 Years

A recording made on March 19, 1957 by a high school student has become a Louis Armstrong album. Verve Records has released 'One Night in Highland Park,' capturing Armstrong and His All Stars before 1,200 people at Highland Park High School, just north of Chicago. The tape sat unheard by the public for almost 70 years.

Joel Goldstein was the school's student stage manager when Armstrong arrived. He hung two Telefunken microphones from the auditorium ceiling and ran an Ampex reel-to-reel recorder through the entire show. The result documents one of the busiest and most celebrated stretches of Armstrong's career, from an ordinary night on an extraordinary touring schedule.

Who plays on the recording?

The lineup is a major draw. Armstrong fronts trombonist Trummy Young, clarinetist Edmond Hall, pianist Billy Kyle, bassist Squire Gersh and drummer Barrett Deems — a version of the All Stars that Armstrong himself considered his favourite. The set moves between New Orleans jazz, popular standards and the hits that made Armstrong an international superstar.

The performance opens with 'When It's Sleepy Time Down South' at 3:49, then shifts into '(Back Home Again in) Indiana' at 4:23, where Armstrong's trumpet and the interplay between Young and Hall set the band's energy. 'The Gypsy' and 'Blueberry Hill' show his gift for turning familiar melodies into personal statements, while 'Tin Roof Blues' and 'My Bucket's Got a Hole in It' reconnect him with his New Orleans roots. 'High Society Calypso' reflects his growing Hollywood presence, and 'Mack the Knife' captures the excitement around one of his biggest hits.

What is on the track listing?

The album preserves a complete evening — 12 tracks across two sides:

Side A

• 'When It's Sleepy Time Down South' – 3:49
• '(Back Home Again in) Indiana' – 4:23
• 'The Gypsy' – 4:46
• 'Ole Miss' – 6:20
• 'High Society Calypso' – 2:51

Side B

• 'Blueberry Hill' – 3:23
• 'Tin Roof Blues' – 5:07
• 'My Bucket's Got a Hole in It' – 5:00
• 'Mack the Knife' – 3:25
• 'Tiger Rag' – 2:20
• 'When the Saints Go Marching In' – 3:41
• 'The Star-Spangled Banner' – 2:20

Who restored the tapes?

Kevin Reeves handled the transfer, mix and mastering of the original tapes. Liner notes come from Ricky Riccardi, the two-time Grammy-winning Armstrong biographer and Director of Research Collections at the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

A student's curiosity preserved a night that might otherwise have vanished, and nearly seven decades later the world can finally hear it. 'One Night in Highland Park' suggests that further lost tapes from Armstrong's touring years may still be sitting in school auditoriums and attics.