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Back in 1956, Louis Armstrong and his All Stars found themselves in the Gold Coast of Africa. Edward R. Murrow had a camera crew filming them for a theatrical documentary, "Satchmo the Great."
This scene is one of the highlights of that rare film.
This scene is one of the highlights of that rare film.
Armstrong and his entourage had just been entertained by local dancers and musicians and now it was their chance to play a number for the audience. Armstrong then called off "Royal Garden Blues" at a fast tempo.
As witness Robert Raymond wrote, "This was the turning point. As the American woman and the man of Africa danced, more and more people from around the arena got up and joined in. Soon a hundred African men and women were dancing to music and rhythms that they had never known."
"The unifying spirit was one of sheer enjoyment."
