Paul Goldfinger photo taken from the DVD of Ken Burns’ “Jazz” doc. click to enlarge. Times Square 1920’s.
Paul Goldfinger, Blogfinger.net
Notice Roseland on the left, where Louis Armstrong played as one of the first black musicians to perform in a white dance establishment.
Roseland could hold 2000-3000 people, most of whom came to dance, but many, like me, would come just to listen.
This is one of Louis’ most famous songs, “West End Blues.”
I saw several great shows at Roseland when it was a mostly indie rock venue in the 90s. It still had the ballroom layout. Great place to see a show. It’s gone now, high rise condos, of course.