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# Lost 1957 Louis Armstrong Live Recording Unearthed: 'One Night in Highland Park'
- URL: https://www.inthewake.tv/lost-1957-louis-armstrong-live-recording-unearthed-one-night-in-highland-park-set-for-release/
- Published: 2026-10-03T20:40:52.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-03T20:42:31.000Z
- Description: The setlist highlights the full breadth of Armstrong's repertoire, effortlessly bridging New Orleans jazz traditions, ballads, popular standards, movie tracks, and contemporary hits.
- Author: IN THE WAKE TV 
- Tags: Jazz

**NEW YORK** — On March 19, 1957, Louis Armstrong and His All Stars took the stage before 1,200 fans inside Highland Park High School, 27 miles north of Chicago. Organizers put together the evening to raise funds for the Highland Park Reform Temple. Nearly 70 years later, that intimate performance is finally seeing the light of day.

  
The live recording released for the first time on the archival album [*One Night in Highland Park*](https://store.ververecords.com/products/louis-armstrong-one-night-in-highland-park-live-digital-album?ref=inthewake.tv). Accompanying the announcement is the release of its lead single, a joyfully energetic rendition of “Ole Miss,” a staple Armstrong had been performing since his teenage years in New Orleans.

### A Master at His Peak

By 1957, Armstrong was at an undeniable high point in his career. Celebrated worldwide as America’s "Ambassador of Goodwill," he was riding the wave of his 1955 smash hit “Mack the Knife,” the iconic *Ella and Louis* collaborative album, and his appearance in the feature film *High Society*.

[Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/517351788) 

  
Just two days prior to arriving in Highland Park, Armstrong had delivered back-to-back shows at the prestigious Chicago Opera House. Yet, despite his global stardom, Satchmo maintained an exhaustive schedule of one-night engagements, bringing his music directly to high school auditoriums and local venues nationwide.

>  
> "I play them because I love music," Armstrong said in 1957\. "I don’t mind traveling and that’s where the audiences are — in the towns and cities — and that’s what I want, the audience."  

[Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/456004089) 

### Preserving a Moment in Jazz History

The Highland Park concert might have been just another entry in Armstrong’s relentless touring schedule if not for Joel Goldstein, a student stage manager working the show that night. Goldstein decided to capture the performance for his personal collection, hanging two Telefunken microphones from a batten and feeding the audio into an Ampex reel-to-reel machine. He kept the tape for decades, preserving a stellar performance that otherwise would have been lost to time.  

[Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/515296802) 

*One Night in Highland Park* captures Armstrong alongside a lineup of the All Stars he considered his personal favorite:  

- **Trummy Young** (trombone)
- **Edmond Hall** (clarinet)
- **Billy Kyle** (piano)
- **Squire Gersh** (bass)
- **Barrett Deems** (drums)

 Up-tempo numbers like “(Back Home Again in) Indiana” and “Tiger Rag” feature blistering brass interplay between Armstrong, Young, and Hall, anchored by Kyle, Gersh, and Deems.

[Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/497535417) 

  
Lighter moments like “The Gypsy” and “Blueberry Hill” shift the pace, while “High Society Calypso” nods to his Hollywood popularity. Deep roots tracks like “Tin Roof Blues” and “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It” connect back to New Orleans, while “Mack the Knife” grounds the set in what was then his most successful commercial record.  

### Audio Restoration & Track list

The original analog tapes were transferred, mixed, and mastered by engineer Kevin Reeves. The release includes extensive liner notes by Ricky Riccardi, two-time GRAMMY Award winner for Best Album Notes, biographer, and Director of Research Collections at [the Louis Armstrong House Museum](https://www.louisarmstronghouse.org/?ref=inthewake.tv).

[Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/73913470) 

  
**One Night in Highland Park Track Listing** 
**Side A**

1. When It’s Sleepy Time Down South (3:49)
2. (Back Home Again in) Indiana (4:23)
3. The Gypsy (4:46)
4. Ole Miss (6:20)
5. High Society Calypso (2:51)

**Side B**

1. Blueberry Hill (3:23)
2. Tin Roof Blues (5:07)
3. My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It (5:00)
4. Mack the Knife (3:25)
5. Tiger Rag (2:20)
6. When the Saints Go Marching In (3:41)
7. The Star-Spangled Banner (2:20)

*The lead single "Ole Miss" is available now, with the full album order available through major audio retailers.*