History of Jazz: Analysis of Popular Jazz Compositions and Vocal Styles

HISTORY OF JAZZ
“Potato Head Blues”was created by Louis Armstrong and it is believed to be one of his
best creations, it was recorded by him and his band “Hot Seven, while “Singing in the
Blues”was played by Frankie Trumbauer and his band or Orchestra.“Singing in the Blues” is one
of the most pure form of jazz music in the decade it was one of Trumbauer’s brilliant
composition, the tone of this composition is commanding and at the same time delicate.“Singing
in the Blues” starts with a soft tone with clarion indicating the type of lyricism that will be
followed after the clarion. Frank Trumbauer gets into his chorus, just giving a vague idea of the
nest lines. He playing the C-melody saxophone, has a soothing effect on the mind. Both
Trumbauner and Beiderbecke created a timeless musical piece which is relevant and loved by all
in this century as well. In the “Potato head Blues” the texture of the song is established in the
beginning of the song. Syncopation in the beginning of the song creates an inconsistency in the
tunes. There is a dramatic shift in the elements of the song. The continuance of timbre in the
composition through the use of trumpet captures the mind of the listeners, it is one of the brilliant
pieces of Louis Armstrong. Both the compositions have their own unique lyricism, and
Beiderbecke’s solo has much less level of intensity than the thundering trumpet sound of
Armstrong.
"Livery Stable Blues" is a 12 bar blues composed in the New Orleans Style beginning
with introduction of four bars, the three distinct themes, repeating each of them twice. The third
theme has trombone, using the clarinet and cornet the sounds of various barnyard animals are
imitated. After repeating the three themes the composition ends with one bar, this composition is
more polyphonic. On the other hand in “Hotter than ‘ell” the rhythm keeps on changing with
changes made in the G chord, it is based on another tune previously played by Henderson called
the “Yeah Man”. This composition has fast tempo and riff tunes having solos using clarinet,