The Satchtennial is a celebration of the birth of Louis Armstrong, one of the
most revolutionary forces in the history of music. While Louis believed
himself to have been born on the Fourth of July in 1900, posthumous
research into Armstrong's life has led to the
discovery of a baptismal certificate which lists Armstrong's date of birth as
August 4, 1901.
That Satch himself honestly believed he had been born on July 4, 1900 is borne out by surviving draft records, which show that--while World War I was still being fought--Armstrong registered for the draft in 1918, despite the fact that he was extremely worried that he would be drafted, gassed, and killed in the trenches of Europe. Fortunately, Louis' draft number was never called, but the fact that he registered for the draft a full thirteen months before he was actually (or, at least, statistically) eligible (according to the birthdate listed on his baptismal certificate) shows that he honestly believed, as he had been told by his mother, that he had been born on the nation's birthday in 1900, and that the choice of the date was neither deliberate on Pop's part, nor a publicity stunt.
So, in honor of Satch's two birthdays, the thirteen-month period extending from July 4, 2000 through August 4, 2001 has been disignated (at least by me) as the Satchtennial, in recognition not only of Armstrong's musical brilliance and originality, but in honor of Armstrong the man, who--during his lifetime--became the most famous and recognizable American in the world. Armstrong broke innumerable racial barriers--in particular, by being the first African-American to play in venues that had previously been open only to white acts, and by becoming the first African-American host of a national radio program, when he substituted for Rudy Vallee as host of the Fleischman's Yeast Hour. Who else would have had the courage to dress down Dwight D. Eisenhower, when, as president, he initially hesitated to excercise his executive power as commander-in-chief to bring the Little Rock school desegregation stand-off to an end. After viewing footage of the stand off in Little Rock, Pops not only volunteered to personally escort the children into school; he referred to Orval Fabus, governor of Arkansas, and later the target of Charles Mingus' Fables of Faubus, an "ignorant plowboy", a quote he later re-confirmed for many major press outlets. Truly, in the words of Duke Ellington, Pops remains the Beautiful American--an example of what America can and, perhaps, should be.
So, how can you participate in the Satchtennial? For starters, brush off those
old Pops records and play 'em loud. Don't have any of Satch's sides? Worry
not--there are a rash of new titles and reissuses whose release has been timed
to coincide with Satch's centennial. Of particular note are the recently
remastered (and restored) landmark "songbook" titles: Satch Plays
W.C. Handy and Satch Plays Fats, as well as Ambassador
Satch, an album (mostly, or, at least, allegedly) comprised of tracks
recorded live in Amsterdam and Milan in 1956. In August 2000, the
Columbia/Legacy label released a 4-CD deluxe album, featuring the amazing audio restoration of the
Hot Five and Hot Seven sides, masterminded by
jazzologist supreme, Phil Schaap. When the Complete Hot
Fives and Hot Sevens, were released on August 22, 2000, they instantly
became the cornerstone of any music, let alone, jazz,
collection.
Still can't get enough Pops? Well, then, dig this: WKCR, the radio station of Columbia University--which can be found at 89.9 on the FM dial in New York City--is celebrating the Satchtennial with thirteen months of special programming. The start and conclusion of the Satchtennial celebration are two massive marathons, featuring the airing of the complete Armstrong discography, knowledgeable commentary, and (most importantly) Pops-around-the-clock. On the fourth day of every intervening month, WKCR will devote the entire day's programming to Armstrong's music. Finally, to cap the celebration, WKCR is devoting 240 continuous hours of programming to nothin' but Pops.
Don't live in the New York metropolitan area? Well, luckily for you, not only does WKCR cybercast live over the internet, it also maintains an audio archive of highlights from the July 2000 marathon broadcast.
This page created June 30, 2000
Last updated August 4, 2006