Louis Armstrong

Never-before-heard personal recordings and archival footage tell the story of Louis Armstrong’s life from his perspective. From musical phenom to civil rights activist to world-renowned artist, this illuminating film shows sides of Armstrong few have seen.

Cornetist/pianist/composer Leon "Bix" Beiderbecke (1903-1931) was jazz's man who got away - the James Dean, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain of his day. Born in Davenport, Iowa into an upper-middle-class family, Beiderbecke became a legend even in his short lifetime, bringing an amazing new energy and unprecedented maturity to the music and influencing generations of musicians. After a bout battling alcoholism, Bix died in Sunnyside, Queens on August 6, 1931. The cause of death was lobar pneumonia. He was 28.Using archival photographs and rare footage (including the three sole momentary fragments capturing Bix on film) and interviews with friends and colleagues (including jazz greats Hoagy Carmichael, Doc Cheatham, Artie Shaw, et al.), Oscar winner Brigitte Berman's acclaimed documentary paints a vivid portrait of a vanished era and brings to life the only cornetist Louis Armstrong regarded as an equal (the quotation in the film's title was once spoken by Armstrong).New restoration by Oren Edenson with fully remastered soundtrack by Daniel Pellerin.

One of the few complete concert performances of Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, this live recording features the legendary jazz trumpeter and singer on an Australian tour in 1964, when he had already become an international superstar and a living symbol of 20th-century American culture. This rare treasure – including such hits as Blueberry Hill, Mack the Knife and songs from the film "High Society" - captures the great man in all his glory as both a jazz pioneer and a peerless entertainer.

This Sundance award winner tells the story of the U.S. government's jazz ambassador program in Africa and the CIA's involvement with the assassination of Congolese leader Patrice Lumumba. A provocative, real-life Cold War thriller, "Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat" intertwines jazz, espionage, and colonialism - uncovering a scandal whose urgency is still resonant in today's geopolitical climate.

During a bizarre dream in which God and Satan battle for his soul, a lazy gambling husband is guided towards redemption. Oscar-nominated musical stars an all-black cast and features actress/singer Lena Horne ("The Wiz"). With appearances by jazz greats Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Directed by Oscar-winner Vincente Minnelli ("Gigi," "An American in Paris").

In this touching and heartwarming story, Larry Poole is a self-styled troubadour who befriends an orphaned girl and her grandfather.

A gambling hall owner relocates from New Orleans to Chicago and entertains his patrons with hot jazz by Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, and others.

With her gangster boyfriend under investigation by the police, a nightclub singer hides out in a musical research institution staffed by bachelor professors - one of whom begins to fall for her.

Two expatriate men find inspiration in the City of Lights, but they consider giving it all up when they meet two American women on vacation.

The world’s greatest gospel singer. Her music cut through whatever she faced and took listeners to a sacred place, by the sheer power of her voice.