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Free 6/ 29 Park Concert Honors Louis Armstrong

Features Music Of Many Genres

From classic jazz to Latin beats, a wonderful world of music will fill the air at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park this Sunday, June 29, during the inaugural Louis Armstrong International Music Festival.

This Sunday’s inaugural Louis Armstrong Music Festival, named in honor of the famed trumpter who resided in Corona, at Flsushing Meadows-Corona Park will feature a wonderful world of music for all guests to enjoy.

The free festival, organized by the Kupferberg Center for the Performing Arts at Queens College and co-sponsored by Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, will take place rain or shine this Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m. near the Unisphere, the centerpiece of the 1964 World’s Fair, located near the Queens Museum of Art.

Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets.

The concert marks the 50th anniversary of Armstrong’s performance during the 1964 World’s Fair. The famed trumpeter and raspyvoiced singer nicknamed Satchmo-known for his performances of “Hello, Dolly” and “What a Wonderful World”- resided in Corona, and his home is now a museum dedicated to his career.

As organizers noted, the concert reflects the musical and ethnic diversity of the neighborhood where Armstrong lived and the World’s Fair at which he performed. Along with live music and dancing in a variety of genres, guests can also purchase items from one of many food trucks set up near the Unisphere.

The first live act gets underway at 1 p.m., when David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band takes the stage. The group performs every Wednesday at the famous Birdland club in Manhattan and pays tributes to Armstrong and other jazz greats, including Bix Beiderbecke (himself a Queens resident), Duke Ellington and Jelly Roll Morton.

Rock music with a South Asian flair will hit the stage at 2:30 p.m., when Junoon and Salman Ahmad perform for the crowd. Recognized as the biggest and longest-lasting rock band in South Asia, the group is known for heavily influencing metalrock music in Pakistan.

The Jon Faddis Quartet-another jazz group-will entertain the audience at 4 p.m., and the concert will close out at 5:30 p.m. with performances by Grammy Awardwinning Cuban-American singer Albita.

Between all sets, DJ Sultan Balkaner will keep the music going and participants entertained. Mr. Met, the famous mascot of the city’s National League team, will also stop by for a visit between 1 and 2 p.m.

Guests are also invited to participate in Queens Museum’s “jazz soiree” featuring Catherine Russell, which will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. They will get a chance to browse the museum’s exhibit, “Ambassador Satchmo at the World’s Fair: Celebrating 50 Years.”

Limited parking is available nearby, so guests are urged to take public transportation. To reach Flushing Meadows Park, take the 7 train to Mets-Willets Point or the Q23 or Q58 buses, which run along 108th Street and Corona Avenue, one block west of the park.

For more information, call 1-718- 793-8080 or visit www.kupferbergcenter.org.