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Mr Jelly at his innovative peak! Apr 11, 2008
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.
3 of 5 found the following review helpful:
"Ain't nobody dead somebody must be dead drunk!" May 12, 2005
"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
One of the very best Sep 22, 2002
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!
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
This is Cool, Man, Van Cool Aug 14, 2002
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!
20 of 23 found the following review helpful:
Jelly serves it up HOT! Nov 19, 1999
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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