If you’ve been to New Orleans, perhaps you’ve seen this large mural in what’s called the Parabola Lobby at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY).
Titled “Louis Armstrong and his Heavenly All-Star Band – What you Loose on Earth Shall Be Loosed in Heaven,” the mural is 28 feet by 41 feet and was created by noted New Orleans artist Richard C. Thomas on commission for this space in 1996. It’s a tribute to “New Orleans musicians and their legendary colleagues who created jazz, shaped it, made it a living art form and are still a part of its evolving development.”
You won’t be able to see the mural for a while, as it’s been removed for restoration as part of a lobby revamping project that’s scheduled to be completed before the Super Bowl rolls around in February.
If you’re curious about all those musicians featured in the mural, there’s a key to the characters in this art brochure that lists much of the artwork in the airport’s $1 million Armstrong Art Collection. Look for Al Hirt, Fats Domino, Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Professor Longhair, Mahalia Jackson, Louis Armstrong and many others.