{"id":2240,"date":"2020-12-29T22:08:30","date_gmt":"2020-12-30T04:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=2240"},"modified":"2020-12-29T22:08:31","modified_gmt":"2020-12-30T04:08:31","slug":"hof-west-end-blues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/hof-west-end-blues\/","title":{"rendered":"2020 PostGenre Hall of Fame Inductee: Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five&#8217;s &#8220;West End Blues&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Jazz fans can be a disputatious lot, yet if there\u2019s something on which we all can agree it\u2019s this: the four clarion quarter notes that begin Louis Armstrong\u2019s 1928 Okeh recording of \u201cWest End Blues\u201d herald the birth of jazz as we know it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The foundational elements of the jazz DNA as we know it&#8211;flashing virtuosity, formal invention, a dazzling variety of articulation and subtlety of phrasing and rhythm&#8211;are all present in these three minutes and 28 seconds.&nbsp; Imagine what a listener in 1928, accustomed to the bloodless, bowdlerized music of Paul Whiteman, the so-called \u201cKing of Jazz,\u201d must have made of this.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_BTxhgmk_ofk\"><div id=\"lyte_BTxhgmk_ofk\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/BTxhgmk_ofk\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/BTxhgmk_ofk\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/BTxhgmk_ofk\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>By virtue of his blazing genius, Armstrong transformed jazz from a collective endeavor to an individual showcase, from a demotic music into the highest art. That genius was present from the beginning of Armstrong\u2019s recording career, which began (can it be?) 97 years ago. If those early recordings with King Oliver and others were the Boston Tea Party of the coming revolution, \u201cWest End Blues,\u201d was its Lexington and Concord. From that moment on, the soloist as Promethean hero (or less benignly, tragic hero) muscled his way to the front and center of the music where he&#8211;and more recently she&#8211;has remained. For better or worse, this is the way the story of the music and those who make it is told.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s no way of knowing how many people heard this record in 1928. Sales figures are hard to come by and Billboard Magazine did not publish a Hit Parade until 1936. If a listener encountered jazz at all in 1928, it was likely to have been in person, or depending on geography, on a radio relay of a live band (AF of M agreements with the major networks prohibited the playing of records on the radio until the 1940s).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For all its undeniable importance, \u201cWest End Blues\u201d might be the ultimate long-tail record, one that might not have been widely heard at the time of its release, but nonetheless is as extraordinary and inspirational today as it was 92 years ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personnel: Louis Armstrong (trumpet and vocals); Earl &#8220;Fatha&#8221; Hines (piano); Jimmy Strong (clarinet); Fred Robinson (trombone); Mancy Carr (banjo); Zutty Singleton (drums).&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jazz fans can be a disputatious lot, yet if there\u2019s something on which we all can agree it\u2019s this: the four clarion quarter notes that begin Louis Armstrong\u2019s 1928 Okeh recording of \u201cWest End Blues\u201d herald the birth of jazz as we know it.\u00a0 The foundational elements of the jazz DNA as we know it&#8211;flashing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":2244,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":285,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1216],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hall-of-fame"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Untitled2.jpg?fit=657%2C446&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-A8","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6293,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/armstrong-now-giveton-gelin-newport-2023\/","url_meta":{"origin":2240,"position":0},"title":"Armstrong Now: Giveton Gelin Previews Louis at Newport","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"July 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"When one considers a historical museum, thoughts of those no longer with us often come to mind. Figures who made their mark but then left this world. Technically, the Louis Armstrong House Museum in Corona, Queens, commemorates the life of an artist who passed away over fifty-two years ago. But,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/original-8BDDE788-28CC-44A4-9A0E-F03DF54C48F9.jpeg.jpeg?fit=758%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/original-8BDDE788-28CC-44A4-9A0E-F03DF54C48F9.jpeg.jpeg?fit=758%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/original-8BDDE788-28CC-44A4-9A0E-F03DF54C48F9.jpeg.jpeg?fit=758%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/original-8BDDE788-28CC-44A4-9A0E-F03DF54C48F9.jpeg.jpeg?fit=758%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1467,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/newport-jazz-part-viii\/","url_meta":{"origin":2240,"position":1},"title":"A History of the Newport Jazz Festival \u2013 Chapter VIII:  Fortress in the Wings, 1972-1980","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"August 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"After the destructive summer of 1971, George Wein wanted to keep the legacy of the Newport Jazz Festival alive but realized any continuation needed to take place elsewhere. He ultimately decided upon relocating the event 180 miles South West to New York City. By the early 1970s, the once-great home\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Newport Jazz Festival History&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Newport Jazz Festival History","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/special-series\/newport-jazz-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/BeFunky-collage-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/BeFunky-collage-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/BeFunky-collage-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/BeFunky-collage-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1449,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/newport-jazz-part-vii\/","url_meta":{"origin":2240,"position":2},"title":"A History of the Newport Jazz Festival \u2013 Chapter VII: Memory of a Giant, 1970-1971","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"August 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"In some ways, the near riotous circumstances at Festival Field in July of 1969 was a precursor of an event which would occur the following month on farmland in Bethel, New York. Woodstock featured a few artists who were in Newport the month prior - Sly and the Family Stone,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Newport Jazz Festival History&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Newport Jazz Festival History","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/special-series\/newport-jazz-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/1970-1971.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/1970-1971.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/1970-1971.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/1970-1971.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2268,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/hof-fess-mardi-gras\/","url_meta":{"origin":2240,"position":3},"title":"2020 PostGenre Hall of Fame Inductee: Professor Longhair&#8217;s &#8220;Mardi Gras in New Orleans&#8221;","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"January 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"At the mouth of the mighty Mississippi, New Orleans has always been a cultural melting pot.\u00a0French, Spanish, Native American, African, and other influences blend to create art, music, food, and more that are unique and diverse. The city\u2019s version of the Blues was not immune. Most Blues forms lacked complex\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hall of Fame&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hall of Fame","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/hall-of-fame\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/fess-mardi-gras.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/fess-mardi-gras.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/fess-mardi-gras.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/fess-mardi-gras.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1280,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/newport-jazz-part-iii\/","url_meta":{"origin":2240,"position":4},"title":"A History of the Newport Jazz Festival \u2013 Chapter III: Goodbye Newport Blues, 1957-1960","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"July 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The 1957 Festival extended to four days - Thursday, July 4 to Sunday, July 7- with every minute captured by Voice of America. Most were also recorded, though much remains unreleased, by Norman Granz\u2019s Verve Records. The first evening centered around Louis Armstrong's purported 57th birthday* with plans to feature\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Newport Jazz Festival History&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Newport Jazz Festival History","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/special-series\/newport-jazz-history\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/1956-19608.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/1956-19608.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/1956-19608.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/1956-19608.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10838,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-etienne-charles-gullah-roots\/","url_meta":{"origin":2240,"position":5},"title":"Review: Etienne Charles\u2019 \u2018Gullah Roots\u2019","author":"Jim Hynes","date":"July 3, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Trumpeter\/percussionist\/bandleader\/composer\/educator Etienne Charles is mostly known for his Creole Soul band and orchestrations. On Gullah Roots (Culture Shock, 2025), the Trinidadian explores another culture with a rich history in Africa and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Gullah culture - also called Gullah Geechee - resides\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_2911-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_2911-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_2911-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/img_2911-1.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2240"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2249,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2240\/revisions\/2249"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}