Jazz Survivor: The Story of Louis Bannet, Horn Player of Auschwitz. Ken Shuldman

and brother for breakfast. Isaac opened the newspaper to a review of last night’s show at Heck’s and read it aloud. The writer ended his story by saying that ‘Louis Bannet, the Dutch Louis Armstrong, has a beautiful future ahead of him.’

      Several weeks later, Louis was in his dressing room at Heck’s. ‘It was the last night of the engagement,’ Louis recalled. ‘The stage manager knocked on my door. I heard this deep, raspy voice ring out. "So you’re the Dutch Louis Armstrong. Well, it’s nice to meet you: I’m the American one." It was Armstrong himself. It was fantastic.’ They took out their horns and jammed. At one point, Armstrong proudly showed Louis the Jewish Star of David he wore in honor of the Karnovskys, a Russian-Jewish family he worked for as a child in New Orleans, who provided the funds for his first cornet.

      The Dutch Louis Armstrong would soon be wearing a Star of David of his own, although it certainly couldn’t be called an honor.