06/12/2026
100 years ago tonight! Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five!
100 years ago tonight, Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five made one of their only public appearances, performing at the big “Cabaret and Style Show” in Chicago! The event was a benefit to support the musician’s union and featured numerous “OKeh Race Records Stars” including King Oliver, Clarence Williams, Richard M. Jones, Butterbeans and Susie, Bertha “Chippie” Hill and more. Here is the original full-page advertisement that appeared in the Chicago Defender, scanned directly from one of Louis and Lil Hardin Armstrong’s scrapbooks.
We don’t have a Time Machine but we do have a very special event planned for this evening as Colin Hancock’s Jazz Hounds will be performing music from this era at the Louis Armstrong Center with vocals by none other than the great Catherine Russell! Showtime is at 6, but come early because at 5:15, the great Matthew Rivera will be spinning 78s, featuring the music Louis Armstrong recorded in June 1926, as well as other period delights. The event is free and sold out almost instantly, but we did just open up a few spots so head over to our website to reserve a seat and we’ll see you tonight at the centennial celebration of this once-in-a-lifetime event!
If you can't make it, here's a post we did last year for the 99th anniversary--enjoy!
https://virtualexhibits.louisarmstronghouse.org/2025/06/13/some-jazz-band-i-tell-em-so-okehs-cabaret-and-style-show-june-12-1926/
