St. Louis Blues

     For the St. Louis Blues, i listened to two different versions: The Original Dixieland Jass Band that played in 1917, and Sidney Bechet that played in 1932. After listening to both versions of the song, i can conclude that although both versions of the song have genearlly the same tunes, the two versions are played very differently. First of all, the version by Sidney Bechet gives off a more orchestraic feeling to it, where, there are a lot of different instruments playing the song, the band also plays very loud with many high pitched wavey notes to it, all that makes it more of a large orchestra rather than a small group of musicians. However, on the other hand, in the original version, the whole song put more emphasize on the trumpet. Also, there isnt as much melody in the original version as there is in the Sidney Bechet version, meaning that there is a lot of improvisation in the song.

     Lastly, what i noticed was that the Sidnet Bechet version of the song had a lot of solos by different instruments such as the trumpet, saxaphone, trombone, etc. and all of them were rehersed beforehand, you can tell because the solos are very confident and bright, they had to have a lot of practice before hand. However, in the original version, there was mainly only the trumpet that stands out. Plus, there is actually singing in the original version, whereas the Sidnet Bechet was purely instrumental.

Comments

[Melody McClure]

I agree too that Bechet gives a more orchestra-like vibe and there is a stronger emphasis on improvisation for many of the musicians have solo's. Although it never occurred to me that each solo had significant practice beforehand, though that makes a lot of sense considering Bechet's version is purely instrumental, thus there would have to be a exact way in which it is played.

[EthanEdwards]

I think this sense of 'orchestra' that some are feeling, is from the better sound quality. In the 1930's better recording equipment was used over the 1917 version. This also can explain the brightness and quality of the sound you hear out of the solo's, which I believe are not pre-planned, but more of that soloists feelings at that moment. I think the confidence of the soloist is being confused with being pre planned. But if this is so, how can one pick out a pre planned solo compared to a confident improvisation?

[LeslieChavez]

There’s really no way for us to be certain how much Bechet rehearsed beforehand. It is true that as a listener you have expectations of what feel improvisation has. However, we don’t know how much jazz musicians planned their “spontaneity” in advance and we can’t assume that great improvisations were rehearsed beforehand. It is possible to make great melody spontaneously, and Bechet is able to do this. Instead of concentrating on facts about the musician’s intentions you should revise your observations primarily in terms of what you hear and interpret as a listener.

[RoxannaVillalobos]

Although no one can ever be sure if the improvisations are pre-planned or not, that should not be the point when interpreting the role of the improvisations. They infer a lot of how people in America felt during the 1930s (Bechet). The choice of instruments and how the players execute the improvisations represent an overall 'mood' of that time.

[MonicaDeeb]

A variety of components in a recording contribute to the mood that it creates. One recording can have a completely different feeling from another recording with the same general tune and lyrics. How do certain aspects of a song such as pitch, tempo, instruments used and the way the instruments converse with one another affect the emotion of a recording? What musical techniques and instruments do you personally think are connotative of an upbeat recording? What musical techniques and instruments do you personally think are connotative of a sorrowful recording?

Here are some posts that will help you in a discussion regarding jazz and the emotion it arouses.

Christopher thinks Sidney Bechet’s version of “St. Louis Blues” is depressing due to the “slow tempo and deep pitches of many of the instruments.”
http://bencarson.squarespace.com/2-new-orleans-songs/author/christopherthien

Melody thinks Bechet’s musical style “evokes a feeling of soul and up-beat happiness.”
http://bencarson.squarespace.com/2-new-orleans-songs/author/melodymcclure

You don’t have to limit yourself strictly to these questions, feel free to raise any other points that you find interesting and discuss them with each other.

- T.A. Monica

[MasaoTaylor]

I agree with Monica that Sidney Bechet's version of "St. Louis Blues" is slower paced and depressing than The Original Dixieland Jass Band's version. Long drawn out saxophone notes in Bechet's version, lower notes, a slower melody, and dissonant notes all created a melody that sounded like it was mourning for something. The rhythmic accompaniment is a lot slower even in the middle of the song when the notes start to lighten up. The baseline always stays the same throughout.

In contrast, The Original Dixieland Jass Band's version of "St. Louis Blues" is much more upbeat than Bechet's version. The notes in the melody are more agreeable with each other and don't sound as dissonant as Bechet's melody does. The added lyrics add another dimension to the song that increases the pace of the song and makes it feel happier. In Bechet's version, the continuous instrumentals had a dampening effect on the melody. The rhythm accompaniment is also a lot faster in this version. All of these factors add up to a more up-tempo, cheerful sounding song.

[TonyHoang]

I agree with Monica that Bechet is more instrumentals and high pitch in the song. You can notice the saxaphone, trumpets are in well played. The trumpet is the most distinct compared to the other instruments. What made the song flow very well was everyone had a part to play; which made the mood of the song very amusing.