West End Blues

E21508

"West End Blues" is a landmark 1928 jazz recording renowned for Louis Armstrong's virtuosic trumpet intro and its pivotal role in the development of solo improvisation in jazz.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf jazz composition
jazz standard
song
composer Joe "King" Oliver
countryOfOrigin United States
criticalReception widely acclaimed by jazz critics
featuresInstrument clarinet
piano
trombone
trumpet
vocal
featuresPerformer Earl Hines
Fred Robinson
Jimmy Strong
Louis Armstrong
Mancy Carr
Zutty Singleton
firstRecordingDate 1928
genre jazz
hasInfluencedArtist Dizzy Gillespie
Miles Davis
Wynton Marsalis
hasSection ensemble out-chorus
piano solo
trumpet cadenza
vocal chorus
hasStructure multiple choruses over 12-bar blues form
historicalSignificance helped shift focus in jazz from collective improvisation to solo improvisation
showcased Louis Armstrong as a virtuoso soloist
includedIn many jazz history anthologies
influenced development of solo improvisation in jazz
modern jazz trumpet playing
swing era soloists
isConsidered canonical jazz standard
landmark jazz recording
milestone in jazz improvisation
key E-flat major
language English
musicalForm 12-bar blues
notablePerformer Louis Armstrong
notableRecordingDate 1928-06-28
openingSection unaccompanied trumpet cadenza
originalMedium 78 rpm phonograph record
recordedBy Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five
recordLabel OKeh Records
subgenre New Orleans jazz
tempo slow
vocalStyle scat singing

Referenced by (5)

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