Description

In 2000, legendary record producer George Avakian approached his friend Gianni Valenti about having a weekly residency to celebrate the centennial of Louis Armstrong's birth, suggesting David Ostwald's Gully Low Jazz Band. Given Birdland's history as the birthplace of bepop - a rebellion against traditional jazz - George's idea for a banjo/tuba band on the boppers' turf was quite nervy, perhaps counter-revolutionary.  But Gianni, ever open-minded and concerned first with high-quality music for his customers, agreed - provided the band ditch its name and go by "David Ostwald's Louis Armstrong Centennial Band." The band was an instant success and after a few years, and it was no longer Armstrong's centennial, the name was changed from "Centennial" to "Eternity." After over 1200 performances by more than 100 world-class musicians, the Armstrong Eternity Band has achieved its 25-year milestone, which jazz historian Dan Morgenstern described as the longest-running residency by any band under the same leader at a major jazz club in the world!