50 years ago
Louis Armstrong conquers Prague
On 10 March 1965, the American trumpeter and singer Louis Daniel Armstrong, also known by the nicknames of “Satchmo” or “Pops”, one of the most famous jazz musicians of the twentieth century, and among the most popular of all time, visited Czechoslovakia, where he remained for 10 days, to hold a concert in Prague which was a huge success. The show was held at the Theatre hall of the “Lucerna” building, near Wenceslas Square. The presenters of the concert were the television actor Jiří Suchý and the composer, musician and singer Jiří Šlitr, both protagonists of pop music and the Czech theatre of the 60s. Armstrong visited the theatre “Semafor”, founded by Jiří Suchý and Ferdinand Havlík in 1959, which over the years would be an important springboard for famous Czech stars like Karel Gott and Hana Hegerová. During his stay in Prague, the American artist was able to try the traditional Czech cuisine and meet many important cultural personalities of the country.