West End Blues

Melody = red

Harmony = orange

Tonality = light green

Structure = dark green

Sonority = light blue

Texture = dark blue

Tempo, rhythm, metre = pink

Dynamics + articulation = purple

?

Introduction

Trumpet cadenza - unusual for jazz but one of the most famous phrases in jazz history

12 bar blues

Introduction finishes on a dominant traid with augmented 5th chord for the whole orchestra

Eb major throughout

Monophonic

Syncopated then double speed swing rythms 

1 of 7

Strain 1

Trumpet tune

Sustained accompaniments - Trombone articulates note changes with pitch bends

Rhythm section has repeated chords

Clarinet joins trumpet in 3rds

Homophonic texture now

Regular crotchets played in accompaniments (Piano) until abr 62

2 of 7

Strain 2

Trombone solo

Pitch bends to articulate notes and in a high register 

Syncopated ends of phrases

3 of 7

Strain 3

Clarinet and ****-singing

**** singing mimics the wah-wah sound of the clarinet

Bottom of the clarinet's range - opposite style to the previous era (Dixieland) 

Antiphony

4 of 7

Strain 4

Piano solo - vituosic, stride style, frequent improvised runs, wide range

Last bar has a chromatic turn 

LH has parraell 10ths and octaves 

No accompaniment

5 of 7

Strain 5

Trumpet melody, again, but an octave up and further away from the main tune. This strain contains more improvisation. 

Trumpet opens with a high dominant pedal

Back to homophonic texture

6 of 7

Coda

Short piano solo before the tune returns to the trumpet

Whole band play the last chord

The paino solo is unaccompanied like the previous one

There is a 3/4 bar which breaks the momentum of the piece leading into the final chord

7 of 7

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Music resources:

See all Music resources »See all Jazz/swing resources »