https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPgh7nxTQT4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gc_19GBn59E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8uq3njd3G0
Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five - “West End Blues” - 1928 - Mackey McGowan
Listen: Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five, “West End Blues” (1928)
I chose “West End Blues” because the trumpet opening grabbed me right away. It’s just Armstrong playing by himself, but it already feels like the whole song is moving. He switches between fast runs, long notes, and these little pauses that really work. As a drummer, I love that he can create that much rhythm without a beat behind him. It was recorded on June 28, 1928, and I think that intro is still a really good example of how one musician can set the mood for an entire track.
Something I didn’t know before looking into the song is that Armstrong didn’t actually write it. His mentor, Joe “King” Oliver, wrote it and recorded his version on June 11, 1928, just seventeen days before Armstrong. Oliver sent him a lead sheet, and Armstrong’s group worked out their own arrangement. I think it’s interesting how the same song can turn into something so different depending on who plays it. Oliver wrote the tune, but Armstrong’s version has its own feel right from the start.
“West End” wasn’t just a random title either. It refers to a spot by Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans where people went for food, music, and entertainment. Oliver had been away from New Orleans for a while, so the name seems to have meant something personal to him. Knowing that, I hear the song as kind of nostalgic. Some parts feel joyful, and others almost sound sad. That’s just how I hear it, though. Armstrong isn’t literally telling that story in the music.
I also got interested in how Armstrong learned trumpet, mostly because I’d heard the idea that he was just a natural who didn’t need much training. That’s not really true. Peter Davis taught him at the Colored Waifs’ Home in New Orleans, where he started with percussion and then moved into brass instruments. The Louis Armstrong House Museum says he learned to read music around age twelve. He got better at reading while playing in Fate Marable’s band, and he had to read difficult parts with Erskine Tate too. On top of that, he learned by ear, practiced on his own, and learned from Oliver. So it definitely wasn’t all talent with no work behind it.
That’s also why the claim that Armstrong couldn’t read music doesn’t really hold up. Lewis Porter talks about how Armstrong practiced ideas, played them in different keys, and used written music. I think people like the story of someone who can just pick up an instrument and be amazing, but it skips over all the work that got them there. In Armstrong’s case, it can also feed into stereotypes about Black musicians being naturally gifted instead of seriously trained. I actually find his playing more impressive knowing how much time he put into it.
My favorite part is still that opening cadenza. A cadenza is basically a solo passage where the player can be more flexible with the timing. Armstrong flies through a few phrases, then hangs on notes or leaves space before moving on. It almost sounds like he’s thinking of it on the spot. But Lil Hardin Armstrong connected the intro to classical music they had worked on, and drummer Zutty Singleton remembered practicing it before the session. So even though it sounds really free, he probably knew that material pretty well already.
There are some interesting comparisons between Armstrong’s phrases and older cornet exercises, especially books by Arban and Saint-Jacome. Peter Ecklund points out similarities to exercises by Bousquet in the Saint-Jacome method. You can hear why someone would make that connection, with all the quick runs and arpeggios. But Ecklund doesn’t claim that Armstrong definitely learned the intro from those exact books. I think it’s fair to say classical trumpet technique was part of the conversation, without pretending we know which exercise he used.
Another detail I thought was cool is that Armstrong had played a similar idea years earlier. Lewis Porter points to a descending phrase about five seconds into “West End Blues” that also appears in Armstrong’s playing on Margaret Johnson’s “Changeable Daddy of Mine” from 1924, in a different key. I relate to that as a producer. Sometimes you come back to a certain sound or idea and keep changing it until it becomes part of your style. That doesn’t make the newer version any less creative.
Once the band comes in, the song keeps switching up who you’re paying attention to. There’s a trombone solo, Armstrong scat singing back and forth with Jimmy Strong’s clarinet, and a piano feature from Earl Hines. Then Armstrong comes back near the end and holds a trumpet note for sixteen beats. That part is so simple compared with the crazy fast opening, but it makes just as big of an impact. I like that he clearly knew when to show off his technique and when to let one note do the work.
The song kept inspiring players after Armstrong too. Jon Faddis recorded a version for his album Legacy, and Scott Yanow describes it as a tribute to Armstrong. I think that says a lot about how memorable this recording is. It’s not just the notes of the tune people remember. It’s also the way Armstrong plays it and sets everything up with that opening.
The biggest thing I take from “West End Blues” is how much the arrangement matters. As a producer, I like starting with one instrument and then bringing everything else in, because it makes the entrance feel bigger. And as a drummer, I like that Armstrong doesn’t force every phrase into perfectly even timing. I feel like quantizing all of it would take away some of the personality. That’s really why I picked the song: it shows how practice, influence, and your own style can come together and make something stand out.
Recordings mentioned
Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five — “West End Blues” (1928), YouTube
King Oliver and His Dixie Syncopators — “West End Blues” (1928), YouTube
Margaret Johnson — “Changeable Daddy of Mine” (1924), Apple Music preview
Jon Faddis — “West End Blues,” from Legacy, YouTube
Sources
Riccardi, Ricky. “Ricky Riccardi on the Making of ‘West End Blues.’” JazzTimes.
Burnett, John. “‘West End Blues.’” NPR, August 6, 2000.
Louis Armstrong House Museum. “Could Louis Armstrong Read Music?” February 14, 2017.
“How Louis Armstrong Became the First Black Pop Star.” Fresh Air interview with Ricky Riccardi.
Porter, Lewis. “Deep Dive: Putting Louis Armstrong in Context.” WBGO, May 3, 2019.
Yanow, Scott. Review of Jon Faddis, Legacy. AllMusic.