SATCHMO-SCORES – By Des Kelly

The A.B.C. is the name, and today, Tennis is the game.

Simona Halep, World Number 1 was soundly beaten by not only the “jazzy-sound” of Satchmo’s trumpet solo, but also by Kala Kanepi, (ranked 44th), in the World’s open U.S.Tennis tournament at Flushing Meadows in L.A. &, as a result, took a “flushing” example of a certain Aussie tennis player, and smashed her racquet several times on the hard surface of the court, to teach it a lesson.

If these people cannot “play the game” in the true sense of the word, they should not be playing at all. I fully understand that tennis racquet manufacturers have to make a living, as, also should all Bunnings stores sell many sheets of sandpaper, to scratch cricket balls with, but, what has this to do with Satchmo ?.

Well, I did know that Louis Armstrong was one of the greatest trad-jazz trumpeters around. What I did not know, and I really do think that not too many people did, was whether he played tennis too, in his spare time. He was an icon as far as music was concerned, his rasping voice, giving pleasure to millions of fans, as well, but his mastery of one of the most difficult instruments to play (the trumpet), was second only to the “master” Harry James.

The fact, however, is that the Louis Armstrong Stadium, a 14 thousand seat tennis stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre (spelt Center in America), is only one of the venues of the “U.S.Open”. It’s opening for the 2018 US Open was, in fact, as a replacement for the 1978 Stadium of the same name. So, this is very interesting news for all Lankan Aussies. I cannot really tell you that Louis Armstrong played tennis as well, BUT “Satchmo-Scores”, in that the Americans built this magnificent Stadium in honour of a magnificent Jazz Musician. It’s a wonderful World.

Let’s go, Satchmo, give us a “show”.