One of the legends of Jazz visited Nottingham 4 times between 1932-34. This is a small tribute to that fact.

If, in 2024, I was to do a straw poll on the streets of Nottingham and ask if they had heard the name Louis Armstrong I think it is fair to say a large percentage would still, at least, know the name even if they were unsure of his history and legacy. I’m sure a lot of young teenagers might not know, but that is and was the same for all of us at one time. That is still a learning age. That said, I think it is a reasonable claim to say that when Louis Armstrong played Nottingham in 1932 that might be considered to be one of the earliest gigs, as we know them today, of a name that still has a recognised place in musical history. He could be argued as a musical legend in the same way we might discuss The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix or Elvis Presley although jazz fans in particular might point out Miles Davis as a rival to Louis’s jazz hierarchy. Of course, there were plenty of other gigs and musicians that played Nottingham before 1932 that were important and deserve discussion but as I inferred, they are probably less known if not now completely forgotten.

Louis Armstrong’s place in Jazz and musical history is huge and when he came to Nottingham he was already a well known star and considered the greatest player of the Trumpet there had ever been. His interest in music wasn’t just limited to jazz, a scat singer and able to read music he also composed songs, played classical music in church concerts and over his 50 year long career he appealed to both black and white audiences. His recording career also saw him pass through a series of innovations. First recording in 1923 when the group would still play acoustically into a funnel connected to a needle to cut a master with musicians placed at various distances in the room depending on how loud their instruments were but by 1931 he started to use the new RCA ribbon microphone, which gave warmth to vocals and became a part of the “crooning” sound of artists like Bing Crosby.

He arrived in Britain in July 1932 with his wife and manager Johnny Collins and his gig at the Palais De Dance, Nottingham on Thursday 11th August was his first concert outside of London. Billed to play with his “Negro” band at the Palais he actually used nine white dance players at the Palais. One of those players was Denny Dennis, a drummer from Derby. He returned to the Empire Theatre, now gone and where the concert hall now stands, later in the year. A flying visit to the Palais in 1933 and a performance at the Victoria Ballroom in 1934 concluded “Satchmo’s” visits to Nottingham.

When Louis first played in London there was polarised opinion. Some walked out of their seats in objection but most were enthused by his flamboyant and energetic performance both as a singer and trumpet player and when he played at the Palais and the Empire the large Nottingham audiences were enthusiastic in their appraisal. Also famed for the amount of handkerchiefs he used to wipe his face, Louis Armstrong’s music was described as “hot” with arrangements of American dance numbers which built to a frenzy. It was at the Empire concert that a young Ken Allsop first got his taste for Jazz and a similarly aged Bill Kinnell also saw the living legend first-hand and both would always hold these concerts with the highest regard throughout their lives. Would be jazz connoisseurs, Bill and Ken eventually met and later formed the Nottingham Rhythm Club in 1941, still the oldest surviving Jazz Club in the country.

By the time Louis Armstrong returned to Britain in 1956, Nottingham was not on the list of concerts. His agents said there was no suitable concert hall in Nottingham and fans had to travel to Leicester Granby Halls to see their hero. This lack of suitable venues is something that plagued Nottingham for a few decades. Louis died in 1971, when I was 13, and I knew quite well who he was. My dad had old 78’s and I knew the regular pop tunes like “Hello Dolly” and “When The Saints Go Marching In”. His 1968 number one hit “What a Wonderful World” I played at both my mum and dad’s respective funerals.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG NOTTINGHAM GIGS
1932 Thursday 11th August – Palais de Dance – There are reports of this gig.
1932 10th October week – Empire Theatre – This gig was described by Ken Allsop in a British Library recording. At least I think it is this gig he was referring too.
1933 Friday 29th September – Palais De Dance – Nottingham Forest Supporters Club Seventh Annual Midland Counties Dance Band Championship – I don’t know if this appearance actually happened.
1934 Wednesday 20th June – Victoria Ballroom – This gig is described as “Empire” presents and one ad names the Victoria Ballroom. A report talks of a gig on the 18th so it is likely he played all that week, Monday to Friday maybe and possibly they might have been in both venues. It’s unclear to me.

The Arthur Lloyd website describes some of the early Nottingham Ballrooms and Theatres

NEWSPAPER CUTTINGS

1932

1933

1934

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