Corona block party celebrates Satchmo and Queens’ jazz history

The Louis Armstrong House and Museum in Corona will host its annual block party on Aug. 24. Photo by Joe Mabel via Wikimedia Commons.

By Rachel Vick

What do you think to yourself when you hear the song “What a Wonderful World”?

Legendary trumpet Louis Armstrong thought about his community in Corona, where he moved in 1943 after choosing diversity and culture over a more lavish suburban life.

An annual block party hosted by the Louis Armstrong House Museum will introduce visitors to the “wonderful world” of Corona next Saturday, while highlighting the community’s influence on jazz.

Armstrong, the legendary trumpeter known as “Satchmo,” moved to Corona in 1943. His longtime home achieved landmark status in the 1980s, and continues to serve as a beacon for music and culture aficionados. On Saturday, Aug. 24, the Louis Armstrong House Museum will host the Jazzmobile Block Party and concert, inviting all residents and visitors to experience the block Armstong loved. 

“There’s so much in ‘Wonderful World’ that brings me back to my neighborhood where I live in Corona, New York,” Armstrong said in 1968 about the Corona home he lived in with his fourth wife. “It’s just like one big family. I saw three generations come up on that block. And they’re all with their children, grandchildren, they come back to see Uncle Satchmo and Aunt Lucille.

Free tours of Armstrong’s landmarked home will take place every half hour from 12-4:30 p.m. and the concert, featuring Grammy nominated Jazz musician Jay Rodriguez, will begin at 2 p.m.

Rodriguez moved to New York City from Colombia in 1970 and helped form the Groove Collective, a group that has shared the stage with icons like B.B. King and Tupac Shakur.

The museum opened after Armstrong’s death in 1970 and has continued to preserve Armstrong’s legacy through concerts and educational programming.

The event is free and open to the public. The museum is located at 34-56 107th St.