Jelly Roll Morton - Birth of the Hot

Jelly Roll Morton was at a creative peak in Chicago in 1926 and '27, surrounded by first-rate fellow New Orleans musicians and with plenty of opportunities to record. Many of the musicians who contributed to Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings appear here--trombonist Kid Ory, banjoist Johnny St. Cyr, clarinetist Johnny Dodds, and his drummer brother Baby Dodds--while George Mitchell contributes sterling cornet leads. Each track is a compressed masterpiece, a jigsaw puzzle of written composition, improvised ensembles, solos and duets, often with sound effects and bantering comic patter thrown in. "Black Bottom Stomp" and "The Chant" are brilliant examples of Morton's energized fusion of contrasting elements, while the piquant "Someday Sweetheart," with its combination of violins, guitar, and Omer Simeon's bass clarinet, demonstrates Morton's inventiveness as an orchestrator. From low humor to high mimicry, Morton was an artist of ebullient spirit who brought the whole of his experience to the recording studio: the car horn of "Sidewalk Blues," the forced laughter of "Hyena Stomp," and the barnyard vocals of "Billy Goat Stomp." By contrast, the final Chicago session includes compact trio performances of "Wolverine Blues" and "Mr. Jelly Lord" by Morton and the Dodds brothers that are refined intersections of ragtime and jazz improvisation. --Stuart Broomer Amazon.com

Mr Jelly at his innovative peak!

Morton was very influential as a composer and pianist, and was a great singer. He was irascible, cantankerous, and had trouble keeping a band together and dealing with the public. He was hard to get along with and it was hard for him to get along with himself! Unlike most musicians and composers of the day, Morton was determined to get paid his royalties and this alone helped to make him a pariah among the record companies, hard to get gigs or make recordings. Yet his efforts later helped to bring better conditions for composers and recording artists. On this CD, he managed to gather a very compatible group of New Orleans players. I love every cut and the re-mastered sound is far better than the older copy I have. If you like traditional jazz, if you want a window into jazz history, if you enjoy great playing, get this one! And then listen to Mr Jelly's stories, playing and singing on the Library of Congress recordings and read the recent biography of him. One of the all time greats, one of the all time characters. April 11, 2008

"Ain't nobody dead somebody must be dead drunk!"

"Jelly Roll" Morton's Red Hot Peppers, one of the greates jazz bands to ever assemble, recorded the song, "Dead Man Blues" in 1927 and the title quote is at the beginning with two brothers arguing if there is a New Orleans funeral or not. The funny quote is when the other brother says that he thinks somebody must be dead, and then the other guy snaps back with that hilarious quote. HA HA!

Jelly Roll was the first important composer of 1920's jazz and these are his finest recordings. They are strongly recommended to the classic jazz fan and are among my all time favorite pieces of jazz from an era which it named May 12, 2005

One of the very best

As a new fan of jazz, I picked this up to see where it began. Jelly Roll claims to be the father of jazz and this cd will make you think he just might have been. Each of the songs are excellent, masterful and will make even the most stoic person tap their foot. All of them are great and memorable. Jelly Roll played jazz with spirit, pizazz and mastery. One song especially good was "Dr Jazz" because you get to hear him sing but all of them are great. He put his heart into his music and that shows. The sound is also very good and adds to the enjoyment.

They truly don't make music like this anymore and this cd will show you that Jelly Roll was one of the best performers of last century. If you want something original and enjoy music from the golden age, pick this up. Its the best! September 22, 2002

This is Cool, Man, Van Cool

I have this at work all the time & is my #1 listenin' CD. I can stop people in their tracks when they here the sounds. The only complaint I have is it has a slighly uneven quality between tracks. But due to the age of the recordings (20's & early 30's), it is understandable that it is that way. Even so, I absolutely LOVE IT! August 14, 2002

Jelly serves it up HOT!

Simply some of the best music ever recorded. The opening bars of "The Chant" sound like something Stravinsky would have liked to compose. Sizzlin' soloists, cookin' compositions, the tastiest remastered sound with steamin' highs and punchy lows -- buy it, baby, buy it! Jelly always serves it up hot and smokin'! November 19, 1999

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