[Dixielandjazz] Basin Streeet Six - Margie

[Ken Mathieson]

Hi All,

Youtube wouldn't let me in either in Scotland, but Spotify has it and 
their version is in Eb, not the written key of F, and it's at a 
leisurely strolling tempo of 120 beats per minute. On the other hand, 
Fuzzy's clip is certainly in A with a tempo of 145 bpm and to my ears 
appears to have identical musical content. It's certainly not an 
alternative take - they wouldn't have changed key just to do it at a 
different tempo, especially as it has a vocal. On the other hand it does 
seem very leisurely at 120 bpm, so is the version on Spotify running 
slower with a pitch reduction of a whole tone from the written key? Are 
there any mathematicians or acoustic experts on the list who could 
verify whether raising the tempo from 120 to 145 bpm would raise the 
pitch by 4 semitones or 6?

The Spotify version is from a CD of Pete Fountain & His Basin Street Six 
and the cover art displayed shows a stern-on view of a Mississippi 
riverboat tied up at a wharf and the CD number on the cover is 504CD16. 
Does that correspond with the original LP issue?

A can of worms indeed!

Cheers,

Ken