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Pops is Tops
Since its debut in 1988, the most popular public program of the Louis Armstrong House & Archives has always been Pops is Tops, our annual concert series for local school children. Every spring, typically during the last week of May, children from Louis's neighborhood enjoy a live jazz concert at the Louis Armstrong House. Between 1994 and 2002, the performing group was Arvell Shaw and the Louis Armstrong Legacy Band. Arvell Shaw, who played bass for Louis Armstrong for more than twenty-five years, led a band of world-class musicians who performed music associated with Louis Armstrong.
With two concerts a day for three days, Pops is Tops takes place in the beautifully restored garden of the Louis Armstrong House. Because the garden can seat only 250 children at a time, the concerts are wonderfully intimate. The children and the musicians enjoy a rapport not realized in larger venues. For example, the highlight of one concert occurred at the close of the morning show; Arvell Shaw was singing Louis Armstrong’s hit "What a Wonderful World," when one hundred children in the audience began to sing along. (The children were students at the Louis Armstrong Intermediate School, which plays the song over the PA every morning.) Mr. Shaw, whose eyesight at the time was so poor that he could not see the children, heard them singing along and tears trickled down his cheeks.
Seating at Pops is Tops is so limited that attendance at Pops is Tops is by invitation only. Attendees are usually restricted to children in Louis's neighborhood. Want to come? Send a postcard or letter to:
Pops is Tops is made possible in part by a grant from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. |
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