There is a sign at Preservation Hall, right behind the stage, that states:

Traditional Requests $2
Others $ 5
The Saints $10

“The Saints,” of course, is “When the Saints Go Marching In,” the theme song of New Orleans. I imagine that the musician who wrote up that sign was simply sick of playing that tune.

Louis Armstrong, as everyone knows, is the one who made it famous. One can find plenty of examples of Louis doing that tune on YouTube, but that seemed too obvious a choice for our Music Friday.

Our choice is a newer tune that takes the song back to its roots. Here is a little history from Colleen Mondor, from a wonderful book entitled Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?:
"Before Armstrong presented the song as part of Reverend Satchmo’s 'mock jazz church' in May 1938 for Decca Records, it was known as a gospel tune of unknown origin … Armstrong added some brass and sass and dropped most of the verses. Ultimately he created a challenge to death, an insistence that even when it comes to funerals, the people of New Orleans would sing their way to the graveyards. I think that Armstrong would agree though that in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, his ecstatic version of the song was misplaced in concerts for the city."

That upbeat tune was not the anthem of post-Katrina New Orleans, but it, combined with the earlier version, could create an appropriate version for the city now.

Behind the cut, is a version that replaces some of those verses left out by Armstrong, a version that was played at Jazz Fest 2006, the first fest after Katrina, in a truly triumphant performance — Bruce Springsteen.