Louis Armstrong playing for his wife at the Sphinx in Egypt in 1961
During the early days of the Cold War, the United States engaged in what was dubbed “Jazz Diplomacy.” The U. S. government helped arrange goodwill tours for noted jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington. The aim of the program was for these musicians to go to the Middle East, South America and other regions that could fall to Communist control and show the cultural freedoms of America through their music. This photo of Louis Armstrong was taken in 1961 while he and his band were touring Egypt as a cultural ambassador. For more information about the “jazz ambassadors,” check out this piece from the New York Times.
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