288 PART 3 | FROM WORLD WAR I THROUGH WORLD WAR II
Johnny Dodds carries on another dialogue with Oliver, weaving an independent
line, generally higher in range than the lead and with phrasing that dovetails
with Oliver’s in a manner of call and response.
The other fi ve choruses are devoted to solos. Johnny Dodds takes the third
and fourth choruses while the rest of the band accompanies him in stop-time
(short punctuating chords separated by silences). After another chorus ofsongwriters: Joe "King" Oliver, Louis
Armstrong
date: 1923
performers: Joe “King” Oliver and
Louis Armstrong, cornets; Honoré Dutrey,
trombone; Johnny Dodds, clarinet; Lil
Hardin, piano; Warren “Baby” Dodds, drums;
William M. Johnson, bass
genre: New Orleans jazz
meter: duple
form: 12-bar bluestiming section comments0:00 introduction Four bars, divided into a two-bar falling pattern, then two bars of
expectant chords. Trombone smear leads into fi rst chorus.
0:04 choruses 1–2 The full ensemble in collective improvisation.
0:35 choruses 3–4 Clarinet solo over stop-time accompaniment.
1:06 chorus 5 Collective improvisation; Armstrong is playing lead while Oliver
prepares for his solo.
1:21 choruses 6–8 Oliver’s solo; each chorus expands the range upward, increasing the
intensity. Chorus 8 ends with a spoken break.
2:07 chorus 9 and tag Collective improvisation, extended by two-bar tag.Listen & Refl ect
- In Bessie Smith’s recording of “St. Louis Blues” (see LG 11.1), each of the three musicians
has a distinct function within the ensemble. How are they analogous to the various func-
tions performed here by the members of the Creole Jazz Band?
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR- use of 12-bar blues structure in an
instrumental piece - contrasting roles of front-line instruments
and rhythm section - rich texture of collective improvisation,
contrasting with solo choruses, sometimes
with stop-time accompaniment
Listening Guide 12.2Dippermouth Blues
CD 2.10 KING OLIVER'S CREOLE JAZZ BAND172028_12_280-304_r3_ko.indd 288 23/01/13 8:40 PM