Publisher Description

When Louis was home in Queens, neighborhood kids would gather around as he brought them into jazz. His music still vibrantly lives around the world, and his spirit of humaneness lives in Travels with Louis by Mick Carlon, teacher of jazz to the young of all ages.--Nat HentoffThanks to his friendship with the great Louis Armstrong, twelve-year old Fred sees his world expand from ice cream and baseball in Queens to jazz at the Village Vanguard, a civil rights sit-in in Nashville, and ecstatic concerts in London and Paris. A wonderful story, which rings true on many levels.--Michael Cogswell, director, Louis Armstrong House MuseumCarlon is driven by a love divided evenly between the subject and the act of writing itself.--Brian Morton, author of The Penguin Guide to JazzPraise for Mick Carlon's Riding on Duke's Train: In schools where students are lucky enough to experience classroom jazz studies, this title, combining rich musical history and a 'you are there' approach, is a natural.--Kirkus ReviewsEnthralling. . . . An adventure story with a smart, historical framework.--ForeWord, Recommended Books for KidsA ripping good yarn.--Brian MortonQueens, 1959. Twelve-year-old Fred loves reading, baseball, and playing trumpet with his neighbor, Louis Armstrong. Fred accompanies Louis to Nashville, where he encounters a Civil Rights lunch counter strike, and to London and Paris. Characters include Langston Hughes, Dizzy Gillespie, and Duke Ellington. Says jazz photographer Jack Bradley, Reading this book is like visiting my friend again. This is the way he was, folks.

Author Biography

Mick Carlon is a 27-year veteran English/journalism teacher at both the high and middle school levels. A life-long jazz fan, he regularly plays jazz in his classroom and has turned hundreds of students into jazz fans. He is quoted in the latest edition of The Penguin Guide to Jazz, co-authored by Brian Morton. His first children's novel, Riding on Duke's Train, was published in January 2012.

Description for Sales People

Will appeal to parents and grandparents who grew up with the music of Louis Armstrong There is a resurgence in interest in jazz among middle-schoolers and pre-teens. This book shows the lifestyle, music, and colorful personalities of "Pops" and other jazz greats of the time through the eyes of a 12-year-old. This is a book about real black people, not stereotypes. Educational value: teaches about jazz and Armstrong, the Civil Rights Movement, and racism Has already been adopted by several school systems Will teach kids a little about the Civil Rights Movement, from the perspective of black people who were there rather than from a white historian's perspective

Details