The world knew Louis Armstrong as a towering figure of jazz music. His bright smile, gravelly voice and boundless charisma, to say nothing of his improvisational virtuosity with both the trumpet and voice, made him one of the first African American pop culture figures to “cross over” into mainstream, predominately white audiences. He rubbed shoulders with politicians, world-class artists and film stars and was later inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. To say that Armstrong cast a long shadow would be an understatement.

Sharon Preston-Folta was a bright star in that shadow. And for most of her life, this fact was kept a secret.

Her memoir, “Little Satchmo: Living in the Shadow of my Father,” recounts her life as the secret love child of Louis Armstrong, a fact she revealed publicly in 2012. Her journey with her mother Lucille Preston, who met Armstrong at the famous Cotton Club in Harlem while a dancer, took the two all over the U.S., sometimes hitting the road with Armstrong on tours and being treated like royalty along the way. “My mother really loved him and was proud of their relationship,” says Preston-Folta, “and even though we didn’t see him as often as we would’ve liked, she believed she did the right thing in keeping me a secret to protect him.”

But at this year’s Through Women’s Eyes Film Festival, Preston-Folta will share a documentary she narrated and co-produced that frames her story as less about shadows and secrets and more about love and reflection. In “Little Satchmo: The Secret of a Legend,” a documentary written and directed by John Alexander and based on Preston-Folta’s memoir, Preston-Folta revisits her story through old photographs, recordings and letters, arriving at a richer understanding 10 years after revealing her secret to the world.

“Whenever he came around for a visit, it was a big event,” says Preston-Folta, “and I’d get all dressed up, but it was never a long enough visit.” Preston-Folta remembers her parents’ relationship as mostly love-filled until a particularly intense argument that signaled the end. “We didn’t see him for a few years after that,” she says, “but my mother never stopped protecting him and he never stopped holding up his promise of supporting us.”

Ultimately, it’s a story about people doing the best they could. The memoir and film both paint Armstrong as a fundamentally good if complicated man. Preston-Folta went through life determined to shine her way out of her father’s long shadow, graduating from college and enjoying a fruitful career in advertising that led her to WUSF, where she currently works as an account executive. “I spent a lot of my adult life trying to define myself outside of being his daughter,” she says, “and my memoir really shifted something in the way I related to my past.” Nowadays, her relationship to her past is less about living in the shadow of an icon and more about honoring all of its bittersweet complexity. “As I reflect on my past in both the memoir and film, I don’t harbor any resentment. In the end, Louis Armstrong was ‘dad.’”

“Little Satchmo” is available to stream from March 10-14 as part of this year’s Through Women’s Eyes Film Festival. 

Pictured: Sharon Preston-Folta overlooks Family Portrait collage created by her father, Louis Armstrong. Image Courtesy Little Satchmo Documentary LLC, Copyright 2021

A new political mailer added controversy to an already contentious debate on how Sarasota elects county commissioners.

The Sarasota Alliance for Fair Elections sent out flyers to Republican voters in the county attaching the same “Stop The Steal” language associated with former President Donald Trump’s false claims about election chicanery with a special election vote that may soon reverse a switch to single-member voting.

The mailers on one side have a picture of Trump and the phrase “Stop The Steal.” On the flip side is a picture of Democratic President Joe Biden and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, accompanied by the phrase: “Don’t Let Them Steal Our Votes Again.”

The rest of the type on the mailer lays out objections to a county referendum being voted on March 8. If passed, the county will hold county-wide elections for commissioners and abandon single-member elections, a system approved by voters less than four years ago.

Former Sarasota County Commissioner Paul Caragiulo called the latest mailers “outrageously pathetic.” He supports county-wide elections and says voters should have a say on all five commissioners. He suggested it was irresponsible to conflate emotions around the 2020 election outcome to a local political issue.

Kinda Muntz, president of SAFE, defended the language and said “Stop The Steal” is a phrase that predates the last presidential contest. “We’re not referencing that directly,” she said. “We are talking about elections and trying to steal the vote. The one we are referencing now is the one in Sarasota County. If you think back that language was used in 2018— about the original single-member districts vote.”

Sarasota County Commissioner Christian Ziegler, also supports a switch back to county-wide elections. He found the flyers laughable. “Are Sarasota Democrats finally admitting there was voter fraud in 2020,” he said, “or are they using that issue to steal Republican votes in order to influence the results of an election in Sarasota County in 2022?”

Notably, Ziegler was elected countywide in 2018 before single-member districts took effect. He now lives in a district where, as of book closing for the March election, Democrats slightly outnumber Republicans 25,790 to 23,474. The results of the March 8 referendum will determine if he runs county-wide for re-election in November or runs in a district election.

Muntz for her part said the shifty move is holding a special election now and trying to persuade voters to reverse a decision made just four years ago. 

Even with our common language and ancestral legacy, it’s refreshing to learn from and about England reared writers. Recently, I reviewed Love Marriage by English fiction writer Monica Ali and now I have thoroughly devoured and enjoyed a cheeky memoir by Georgia Pritchett entitled My Mess is a Bit of Life.

Georgia, an award winning writer from the Julia Louis-Dreyfus hit Veep, gives a wry, honest look at her English upbringing, her struggles with anxiety and parenting two autistic sons.

Just as most of us do, meandering and tripping through life, Georgia tells her story unconventionally, in very short humorously heart felt chapters. She covers virtually everything from elementary school to sexual self-discovery to fertility and parenting. Her monikers for those she loves, The Patriarchy is her father’s tag for instance, are meant to be endearing in both privacy protection and description.

Without spoilers, I won’t convey the punchlines Georgia captures, nor the moments and insights she relates with ultra accessibility. I think anyone can enjoy this memoir, but especially those who are raising autistic children or who simply struggle with anxiety. My Mess is a Bit of Life is empathic and instructive simply through Georgia’s candid self-reflection.

My Mess is a Bit of Life by Georgia Pritchett is available at BookStore1 12 S. Palm Avenue or via their online store at Sarasotabooks.com. Publication February 8, 2022. ISBN: 9780063206373. 

The Sarasota Concert Association presents the Grammy Award-winning Warsaw Philharmonic, in a one-night-only concert on Monday, April 4 at 7:30 pm at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall. Music Director Andrey Boreyko leads the Orchestra in Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, and the first prize winner of the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition, Bruce Liu, joins the Orchestra for Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1. The program opens with Stanisłas Moniuszko’s short work, Overture to Paria (The Outcast). Andrey Boreyko, of Polish descent, is now finishing his tenure as Music Director of the Naples (Florida) Philharmonic. He conducts orchestras around the world, including the London Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw and the Chicago Symphony, and began as Music and Artistic Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic in 2019. Boreyko has a long distinguished discography of recorded works, with several recordings specific to Dmitri Shostakovich. Chinese Canadian pianist Bruce Liu is the first prize winner of the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition held in Warsaw, Poland. Since his enthralling performance there, he has been in high demand to perform with great orchestras around the world. Liu has been delighting audiences non-stop since his win, performing in the UK, Russia, Israel, France, Poland, Canada and Japan.  

For ticket information click here.

Allegiant (NASDAQ: ALGT) today begins service from Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) to Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) in Ohio. To celebrate, the company is offering one-way fares on the new routes as low as $37. The new flights will operate twice weekly. Flight days, times and the lowest fares can be found only at Allegiant.com. Allegiant offers a unique option to Sarasota-area travelers with low base airfare and savings on rental cars and hotels. Travelers can book their entire vacation with Allegiant for less. 

To learn more, visit