Despite the large number of instruments and musicians used in Beck’s composition, it was still fairly simple to follow along the different sections of instruments that he included, since they all had their own parts and blended smoothly into or with each other. Similar to Latin Jazz, there were multiple parts and instruments. The ensemble was composed of 157 musicians and included gospel singers, orchestral strings, electric guitars, piano, marimbas, the saw, Chinese percussion, Latin percussion, yodeling and so much more; in the case of what instruments were present, the question to ask is not “what instruments were included?”, but rather “what instruments weren’t included?”.
Compared to the original Sound and Vision, Beck’s remake was truly epic and nostalgic. Even though I have listened to some of Bowie’s music before, this was actually my first time listening to this song as well as the remake, which Beck made back in 2013. The song was originally released in 1977 and having heard it now in 2017, 40 years later, it felt like a proper tribute to the late David Bowie. The grand size of the orchestra also added to this feeling as it shows how music can connect anyone no matter what background they come from, or what they specialize in, and this is especially true of David Bowie as he also had fans from all over the world. He truly captured the “sound and vision” of the song and furthered it even more.
While not being an actual jazz piece, Beck’s remake can be considered a tribute to jazz since it brings together various instruments and also includes a bit of improvisation during the breaks from each different section. The aspect that I think this fully incorporates is the bringing together of different cultures, as was the case when jazz was beginning to gain popularity.
