Listening (Oliver, "West End" Blues (1928)

The improv solo in the beginning of the piece is probably the most influential cornet solo in all of music. Louis Armstrong's innovative style of playing helped push the Jazz and Big Band era onto mainstream audiences. The use of call and repeat is again prevalent in this piece with the singer and the clarinet. I felt that the singer's use of sounds rather than words and the percussion in the piece resembled style's of African music. Generally, african music uses made up sounds and words, while adding a beat from simple objects. Additionally, I noticed that this sound has many solos. It starts out with a cornet, then a voice and clarinet, then a piano, and then cornet once again. Overall, I enjoyed the style and effect that this composition had.