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At least much of it is cheaper now. No more sounding likethere's a pillowcase over your head.The bad news is that I'm probably looking atreplacing a lot of older masters of historicmusic. in remastered sound quality.I have a 1990's issue of this same material,on the same label. So I was able to doa side by side.The good news is that, if they want to take thetime and effort, it is now possible to make stufflike this from the late 20's clean, clear,enjoyable listening.
And then listen to Mr Jelly's stories, playing and singing on the Library of Congress recordings and read the recent biography of him. If you like traditional jazz, if you want a window into jazz history, if you enjoy great playing, get this one. 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. Yet his efforts later helped to bring better conditions for composers and recording artists. 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. One of the all time greats, one of the all time characters. 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.
Jelly Roll was the first important composer of 1920's jazz and these are his finest recordings. HA HA. 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 "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.
All of them are great and memorable. 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. 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. If you want something original and enjoy music from the golden age, pick this up. The sound is also very good and adds to the enjoyment.
As a new fan of jazz, I picked this up to see where it began. One song especially good was "Dr Jazz" because you get to hear him sing but all of them are great. Its the best.
Each of the songs are excellent, masterful and will make even the most stoic person tap their foot. Jelly Roll played jazz with spirit, pizazz and mastery.
But due to the age of the recordings (20's & early 30's), it is understandable that it is that way. The only complaint I have is it has a slighly uneven quality between tracks. Even so, I absolutely LOVE IT. 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.
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