Phoebe Jacobs

Executive vice president of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, Phoebe Jacobs has spent her career as a publicist and public relations consultant in the world of jazz. She started out as a hat check girl in the New York City jazz club Kelly’s Stable, and worked for Sy Oliver at Decca Records. She was director of public relations for other NYC venues such as Basin Street East and the Rainbow Room and Rainbow Grill at Rockefeller Center. Jacobs was the publicist for such musicians and singers as Benny Goodman, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, and Peggy Lee.
On this show Jacobs talks about her dedication to Louis Armstrong’s desire to extend his legacy to young people everywhere. Louis entrusted his foundation to Jacobs because he knew she would carry out his wishes, and she created a children’s jazz camp. She also led the efforts that resulted in a Louis Armstrong postage stamp, and put Armstrong’s home on the National Registry. In 2003 Jacobs received the Lincoln Center jazz award for leadership, presented by Ed Bradley.
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