As part of its 2026 Jazz Series, Greensboro’s historic Festival Hall will present its second of four scheduled shows this year by The Jazz Legacy Project (JLP) on May 14, featuring the music of Louis Armstrong, Pops: The Father of Jazz.
From creating trumpet masterpieces in his early days in New Orleans and Chicago to writing and performing mass-appeal vocal hits such as “Hello Dolly” and “What a Wonderful World,” Armstrong helped father the sound of American popular music.
In addition to the Jazz Legacy Project band led by drummer Justin Varnes, who also narrates the evening, this show will feature trumpeter, singer, and Armstrong scholar Michael Cruse.
From Lexington, Ky., Cruse is known for his unique take on Armstrong's musical stylings, and his compositions and arrangements have been featured in various TV shows, films, and commercials aired nationwide.
Cruse also has performed with a wide range of jazz greats, including Roy Hargrove, Jazzmeia Horn & Her Noble Force, Wynton Marsalis, Warren Wolf, The Royal Krunk Jazz Orchestra, Byron Stripling, and Kevin Harris, among many others.
Each Jazz Legacy Project program lasts about 90 minutes, with a goal of bringing the casual jazz listener inside the minds and music of the most influential and interesting American musicians of all time.
Seminal jazz pieces accompany Varnes’ descriptions of the lives and music of each featured artist/composer, better illustrating and illuminating their lives and contributions to jazz history. These are not tribute concerts, however, in the sense of trying to recreate original performances. Instead, the Jazz Legacy Project strives to celebrate the essence and musical accomplishments of each featured artist.
Tickets to The Jazz Legacy Project: Louis Armstrong, Pops: The Father of Jazz on May 14, starting at 7:30 p.m., start at $25 each. For tickets and more information, visit festivalhallga.com.
This Festival Hall program is supported in part by Visit Lake Oconee, Ellen and Jeff Lemming, and Reynolds Lake Oconee Properties, LLC.