Jazz Versions Of American Anthems
As the Fourth of July approaches, we’ll be hearing the national anthem and other patriotic songs a lot more than usual. (Well, unless you’re a sports fan, in which case you already hear them all the time.) Here are a few jazz versions of American anthems.
DUKE ELLINGTON
There are several recordings of Duke Ellington’s band playing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which he sometimes used to open shows. Here’s one from the Newport Jazz Festival. It’s a fairly straight reading of the tune.
RAY CHARLES
Nobody could sing “America The Beautiful” like Ray Charles. Period.
LOUIS ARMSTRONG
This also sounds at first blush like a fairly straight reading of the national anthem, but listen twice and I think you’ll find some hidden depth there.
BRANFORD MARSALIS
Finally, here’s the version of the national anthem with the most chord substitutions. Enjoy!
One Response
Great blog post. It’s hard to get better than those four gentlemen. My favorite is Branford’s version, as I think he is a genius, and I always felt that people really don’t appreciate how good he really is, and how original. I think he’s better than Wynton and Wynton is brilliant.
Maybe a Yoko Miwa Trio version for the next CD? How about America the Beautiful or God Bless America as two suggestions.