Music Comparison - David B.

I choose to compare the 3 versions of the song When the Saints Go Marching.


The first is the classic Louis Armstrong version. Louis Armstrong was one of the first musicians to actually popularize the song as a pop tune, and his influence surely helped the song also become a Jazz standard.

Louis’ version is in the classic Dixie land style, with multiple soloist add their own melodies simultaneously, namely the clarinet and trombone, while Satchmo sticks to the melody mostly. He adds his own flourishes to the melody and after a run through the melody on trumpet; he goes on to sing the melody, with call and response style. The Bass Piano and drums serve as a rhythm section, stick to accompaniment throughout the piece, and while the clarinetist and trombone player go on to take actual solos before Louis takes his own trumpet solo. Overall the song has a relaxed and joyous feel, and is pretty enjoyable to listen to.

The next version is the worst version, featuring WMI Chorus 2006 led by Dorothy Nancekievill of the International Staff Songsters. It is a bad choral version, with corny piano accompaniment, and just looses the spirit of the song. It trades of the melody between the male and female voices, and adds multiple melodies at once later in the song, maybe to emmulate the multi-soloist style of Dixieland jazz. The melody is moved around quite a bit, with new sections being added here and there for no paticular reason. It is a piece of music, I would very much not like to listen to again, and the piano is played is such a corny style, it almost sounds like the performer is joking and mocking the song being played.

The final version is actually by Bruce Springsteen. This version is the most liberal in the interpretation. It begins with an intro of Bruce noodling on his guitar and singing a little bit before going into a somber version of the classic melody. Two other singers take a crack at the melody, with some light organ and piano accompaniment, all with their slightly different interpretation. There is a trumpet solo later in the piece, which some semi-bluesy jazzy rambling. Overall it is a somewhat interesting interpretation, but nothing to listen to more than once.