In both these instances, the improvisation still blends in with the sound of the other instruments. Jazz at this time is still mostly a group effort. But now compare these with Louis Armstrong’s solo on “Potato Head Blues” from 1927 or “West End Blues” from 1928. Remember my claim above that jazz revolutions took place every five years, more or less? Well, here is a perfect example. By the late 1920s, we have arrived at the heroic age of the jazz soloist, and at this moment in time Louis Armstrong is ahead of everyone else in the inventiveness of his improvisations and the ease with which he
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