[Dixielandjazz] Cadenza on "West End Blues"

[Chris Tyle]

Bob Ringwald entoned:

> For instance, I love to hear the opening cadenza on West End Blues.  Why
> > > should I only hear it on a recording?  I personally can't see playing that
> > > tune without the cadenza.  Without it, it is not West End Blues.
> > >
With all due respect Bob, IMO it really depends on who is playing it.
Over the years I've heard some pretty sad renditions of the cadenza,
including Louis Metcalf's on King Oliver's recording. So if someone can
really nail it and do it justice, I'm all for it.

I don't play it simply because it's an intimidating piece of music, and
I'm not really much of a high note player. Actually, the tune, as Oliver
wrote it, has three parts, and when I recorded it for my Good Time Jazz
recording "Streets and Scenes of New Orleans," I just utilized the three
parts and created my own arrangement of it, because I wanted to do a
tune dedicated to West End and I didn't want to do "West End Romp" by
the New Orleans Owls.

Regards,
Chris Tyle