| The Real Ambassadors | |
|---|---|
 Original Cast Recording | |
| Music | Dave and Iola Brubeck Louis Armstrong |
| Productions | 1962 Monterey Jazz Festival |
The Real Ambassadors is a jazz musical developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s by Dave and Iola Brubeck, in collaboration with Louis Armstrong and his band. It addressed the Civil Rights Movement, the music business, America's place in the world during the Cold War, the nature of God, and a number of other themes. It was set in a fictional African nation called Talgalla, and its central character was based on Armstrong and his time as a jazz ambassador.[1] It was the first major large scale musical collaboration between Dave and Iola Brubeck and served as a template for their future musical collaborations. Songs from the musical were recorded by Columbia Records and a soundtrack album was released in 1962, just before the show's premiere at the 1962 Monterey Jazz Festival with an all star cast.[2]
- ^ Von Eschen, Penny M. Satchmo Blows Up the World, 2004, pp. 81, 89-90.
- ^ "Brubeck at Monterey: 1961-1966". 60th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival. Archived from the original on 2019-10-16. Retrieved 2019-10-16.