The new permanent exhibition It All Started in Jane Alley: Louis Armstrong in New Orleans opened at the New Orleans Jazz Museum on Thursday, August 1, in anticipation and association with the start of Satchmo SummerFest 2024 the following weekend. 

The exhibition gives a glimpse into Louis Armstrong’s life in New Orleans and his evolving relationship with the city after his departure. It All Started in Jane Alley: Louis Armstrong in New Orleans presents Armstrong’s early influences, including his mother, Mayann, who raised Armstrong by herself; the Russian-Jewish Karnofsky family, whose friendship with Armstrong began in his youth; his first music instructor at the Colored Waif’s Home, Peter Davis, who made Armstrong leader of the home’s brass band six months after he joined the group; and cornet legend Joe “King” Oliver, who was Armstrong’s mentor and biggest influence

Armstrong was raised in a poor section of New Orleans known as “Jane Alley.” Throughout his career, he entertained millions—from heads of state and royalty to the neighborhood kids on his stoop in Corona, New York. Despite his fame, he lived a simple life in a working-class neighborhood. The man known worldwide as “Satchmo,” short for Satchelmouth, was widely recognized as a founding father of jazz—a uniquely American art form. In 1932, Melody Maker magazine editor Percy Brooks greeted Armstrong in London with “Hello, Satchmo!” and the nickname stuck. His influence as an artist and cultural icon is universal, unmatched, and very much alive today.

Louis Armstrong will always be synonymous with New Orleans. He learned so much about people, about music, about racism, about food, and about life in the years he spent there. When he left in 1922 to conquer the world, he brought those New Orleans values everywhere he traveled. A day did not go by when Armstrong didn’t reflect on his beloved hometown. Via photos, artifacts, and writings, this exhibit shows how Armstrong lived in New Orleans and how it shaped him. The cornet that he played during his time in the Colored Waifs’ Home will be featured. This exhibit also complements the recently opened exhibition, From Congo Square to the World: Early Jazz In New Orleans.