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And then listen to Mr Jelly's stories, playing and singing on the Library of Congress recordings and read the recent biography of him. I love every cut and the re-mastered sound is far better than the older copy I have.
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.
Morton was very influential as a composer and pianist, and was a great singer. On this CD, he managed to gather a very compatible group of New Orleans players.
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.
If you like traditional jazz, if you want a window into jazz history, if you enjoy great playing, get this one. One of the all time greats, one of the all time characters.
HA HA. "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. 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
As a new fan of jazz, I picked this up to see where it began. If you want something original and enjoy music from the golden age, pick this up. One song especially good was "Dr Jazz" because you get to hear him sing but all of them are great.
Each of the songs are excellent, masterful and will make even the most stoic person tap their foot. The sound is also very good and adds to the enjoyment. Jelly Roll claims to be the father of jazz and this cd will make you think he just might have been.
He put his heart into his music and that shows. All of them are great and memorable. Jelly Roll played jazz with spirit, pizazz and mastery.
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. Its the best.
The only complaint I have is it has a slighly uneven quality between tracks. 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. 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.
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'.
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