[Dixielandjazz] West End Blues Armstrong Cadenza

[Steve Barbone]

Dear Bill & Listmates:

Thanks Bill for your usual historical accuracy.

Bob Romans, tell your TPIN contact that he was indeed misinformed.

Small wonder I never heard Oliver's West End Blues cadenza. I had at one
time, and listened extensively to, just about everything Oliver did. And I
tried unsuccessfully to find it on the internet. I knew Metcalf did it, but
half a year after Louis did. That version pales in comparison. Apparently
Oliver never played the cadenza and given what Louis did with it, I don't
blame him.

The Louis cadenza is pure genius and not duplicated, as far as I know, by
anyone else yet, though many have tried.

Paul Grant, our black trumpet player, who played it 8 times a week in the
Stage play, "The Louis Armstrong Story, West End Blues", in Philadelphia and
New York told us it was the most difficult piece of music he ever attempted
to play correctly. (E.G., As a copy of Louis's original) He said he never
got it with the fire, feel, timing and syncopation of Louis though he tried
mightily. The cadenza was the audition piece for the show and a lot of
excellent trumpet players from Boston to Washington DC were humbled by it.

I heard Paul in Philly and thought the cadenza sounded great even though
there was a cracked note. When he left the show, the producer was devastated
because he felt there was no one else available in the Northeast US who
could do it as well as Paul.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone


Bill Haesler <bhaesler at bigpond.net.au> wrote:

> Dear Bob and Mop
> I'm a little confused, which is not hard at my age.
> Bob said, then asked: " It has been my understanding that Joe "King"
> Oliver recorded (and composed) that cadenza before Louis made his own
> recording of it. Have I been misinformed?"
> Mr Mop replies: "No Bob, you are correct. And Oliver's version is
> amazing given that he didn't have nearly the chops Louis did."
> Later Steve Barbone said: "I've never heard Oliver's cadenza. Is it
> anywhere near as fantastic as what Louis did?"
> OK then.

> 1.  King Oliver composed "West End Blues" and recorded it for Vocalion
> on 11 June 1928. No cadenza.
> 2.  Louis Armstrong recorded it several weeks later for Okeh on 28 June
> 1928 with a (his) cadenza.
> 3.  Ethel Waters recorded it, with Clarence Williams at the piano, for
> Columbia on 28 Aug 1928, by which time words by Clarence Williams had
> been added.
> 4. Hazel Smith recorded it for Okeh on 29 Aug 1928 with Oliver on
> cornet. No cadenza.
> 5.  Katherine Henderson recorded it for QRS in Sept 1928 with Ed Allen,
> cornet. No cadenza.
> 6.  King Oliver rerecorded it for Victor on 16 Jan 1929 with the
> cadenza (played by Louis Metcalf).
> I have all the above and have just replayed them.
> Therefore:
> Louis owns that introductory cadenza.
> There is no Oliver cadenza on his original version. Louis added it for
> his recording.
> The simplified cadenza played on the second (later) Oliver recording
> was not played by King Oliver.
> Kind regards,
> Bill.