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JELLY ROLL MORTON DOCTOR JAZZ His 51 Finest 1923-1940
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DISC ONE (1923-1928)
1. Doctor Jazz (with Red Hot Peppers) [3:25]
2. Big Fat Ham (with his Orchestra) [2:49]
3. Shreveport Stomp (piano roll) [4:40]
4. Black Bottom Stomp (with Red Hot Peppers) [3:09]
5. Smokehouse Blues [3:25]
6. The Chant [3:09]
7. Sidewalk Blues [3:27]
8. Dead Man Blues [3:13]
9. Steamboat Stomp [3:06]
10. Grandpa’s Spells [2:51]
11. The Original Jelly Roll Blues [3:04]
12. Cannon Ball Blues [2:50]
13. Wild Man Blues [3:03]
14. Jungle Blues [3:25]
15. Beale Street Blues [3:12]
16. The Pearls [3:23]
17. Wolverine Blues (with his Trio) [3:18]
18. Mister Jelly Lord [2:50]
19. Georgia Swing (with his Orchestra) [2:31]
20. Shoe Shiner’s Drag (London Blues) [3:24]
21. Kansas City Stomps [2:57]
22. Mournful Serenade (Chimes Blues) (with his Quartet) [3:22]
23. Shreveport [3:12]
24. Deep Creek ( with his Orchestra) [3:25]
DISC ONE TOTAL PLAYING TIME: [78:42]
DISC TWO (1929-1940)
1. Pep (solo piano) [2:52]
2. Seattle Hunch [3:07]
3. Freakish [2:53]
4. Burnin’ the Iceberg (with his Orchestra) [3:00]
5. New Orleans Bump (Monrovia) [3:29]
6. Tank Town Bump [3:08]
7. Sweet Peter (with Red Hot Peppers) [2:42]
8. Mississippi Mildred [3:15]
9. Smilin’ the Blues Away (with his Trio) [2:51]
10. Turtle Twist [3:04]
11. Each Day (with Red Hot Peppers) [2:50]
12. Little Lawrence [2:50]
13. Harmony Blues [3:24]
14. Load of Coal [2:54]
15. Low Gravy [2:42]
16. Strokin’ Away [2:53]
17. Blue Blood Blues [3:01]
18. Gambling Jack [2:50]
19. Buddy Bolden’s Blues (with his New Orleans Jazzmen) [3:09]
20. High Society [2:46]
21. Winin’ Boy Blues [3:09]
22. Ballin’ the Jack [2:10]
23. King Porter Stomp (solo piano) [2:48]
24. Mamie’s Blues [2:40]
25. Panama (with his Hot Seven) [2:31]
26. Sweet Substitute [2:50]
27. Dirty, Dirty, Dirty [2:49]
DISC TWO TOTAL PLAYING TIME: [79:59]
Jelly Roll Morton (1890-1941) was one of the earliest of the great jazz musicians. He was a remarkable pianist, a brilliant composer and an innovative bandleader. Born Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe in New Orleans, Louisiana, Morton was heavily influenced by rag-time, folk music, blues and the early pioneer jazz of his era, and used these to create his own style and body of work which laid the ground work for the development of jazz for generations. This 2-disc set features 51 of his tunes recorded between 1923 and 1940.
The earliest number in this set is Big Fat Ham, a pre-electric recording from 1923, featuring Morton and his 5-piece Orchestra. The tune features a lively call-and-response between brass and clarinet and percussionist Jasper Taylor performing with woodblocks. The latest number is Dirty, Dirty, Dirty, a 12-bar blues recorded in New York in 1940. Morton performs with his Hot Seven, featuring trumpeter Red Allen and Albert Nicholas on clarinet. The band creates an interesting rolling-train sound effect in one section by skipping the first beat of each measure. Morton was adept at mixing unusual instrumental effects and unique solos in his arrangements. Burnin’ the Iceberg, recorded in 1929 with his 10-piece Orchestra, presents a generous serving of musical surprises, including stop-times, wah-wahs, fade-away train effects, and Charleston riffs, all tightly arranged.
Morton’s most famous band was his Red Hot Peppers. The members were an assortment of top New Orleans-style jazz musicians who recorded with Morton between 1926 and 1930. Several different versions of the group appear in this set. The group recorded the swinging Doctor Jazz in 1926, featuring clarinetist Omer Simeon and trombonist Kid Ory, with George Mitchell on cornet and Johnny St. Cyr playing banjo. This is one of the finest early jazz recordings of the era, with top musicians passing the lead around in a tight and well-rehearsed arrangement. Morton always focused on the ensemble and how individual solos fitted in with the other instruments, which was an unusual philosophy in the early jazz era. One of my favorites is Jungle Blues, recorded by Morton and the Red Hot Peppers in 1927, featuring clarinetist Johnny Dodds and Stump Evans on alto sax. The duo highlights a swinging, strutting blues arrangement to a jungle marching beat performed by trombonist Gerald Reeves, drummer Baby Dodds, and Quinn Wilson on tuba.
This set also contains a selection of some of Morton’s fine piano solos. Shreveport Stomp is a busy rag-time piece he composed and recorded in 1924 on a Vocalstyle piano roll, and is a creative salute to the waning days of the rag era. Earlier in 1905 he composed another rag, King Porter Stomp, and recorded this version in 1939 on the General label. This tune was later re-arranged by Fletcher Henderson and became a hit for Benny Goodman in 1935 during the Swing era. In 1929 Morton recorded a trio of piano jazz solos for Victor records; Pep, Seattle Hunch, and Freakish. Each tune blends sparkling rhythms, tempos, melodies, and chord changes that allow us a glimpse into his musical mind, and appreciation for his originality and creative musical genius, and should not be missed.
This music was compiled by Ray Crick. Audio restoration and remastering was performed by Martin Haskell. A 16-page booklet is included with the set. The sound quality is excellent.
Bruce McCollum