Louis Armstrong is one of the most important jazz musicians ever, as both a trumpet player and a singer. Apple TV+ promises to introduce a definitive documentary of his life based on never-before-heard home recordings and personal conversations.
Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues premieres worldwide at the end of October.
Louis Armstrong as you’ve never seen him before
Armstrong was one of the founding fathers of jazz. He’s also been called the first pop star, and he was a cultural ambassador for the United States beloved by millions worldwide. But he also received criticism for not doing more to support the civil rights movement.
He undoubtedly avoided controversy, which wasn’t easy for a internationally famous black man of his era. His was a life that spanned the shift from the Civil War to the Civil Rights movement.
The Apple TV+ documentary will explore all these aspects of the musician.
It was made with the support of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, which means the the filmmakers had access to a previously unreleased archival materials. That includes hundreds of hours of audio recordings, film footage, photographs, personal diaries and a lifetime’s worth of ephemera.
The documentary is directed by Emmy-nominated Sacha Jenkins. It’s produced by Imagine Documentaries in a collaboration with Apple that already resulted in Dads and Who Are You, Charlie Brown?
Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues will premiere in select theaters and globally on Apple TV+ on October 28, 2022. Watching will come with a $4.99-per-month subscription to Apple’s streaming service.
