1923-24

Jelly Roll Morton | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 1, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Milestone
• ASIN: B000000XW2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,564 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

These are Jelly Roll Morton's earliest recordings, and if you have any plans to become a Morton completist, this Jazz Classics issue with its chronological presentation is a good way to cover the early work. While the sound quality inevitably leaves much to be desired, the freshness of Morton's invention will surmount that, from the wonderfully percussive smacks at the keyboard in "Grandpa's Spells" to the rollicking energy of "Shreveport Stomp." Other perennial Morton vehicles that are heard in their first versions are "The Pearls" and "King Porter Stomp," while "Big Fat Ham" and "London Blues" are heard in both band and solo piano versions. The CD even goes so far as to include "Steady Roll" by a novelty band called Jelly Roll Morton's Stomp Kings. The group consisted of comb, banjo, and kazoos, but it didn't include Morton. --Stuart Broomer

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Birth Of The Genius, January 9, 2002

By 

Peter Acebal (Christiansburg, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1923-24 (Audio CD)

Although he prided himself as having "invented" Jazz,Jelly Roll Morton WAS the first great Composer of Jazz,long before Ellington;this remarkable CD is invaluable for offering all of Morton's first recordings (the Gennett piano solos and some early band dates,including a swell number,"Steady Roll" complete with comb & kazzoo and NO Morton!?);although the Classics Series are usually well-remastered this CD is no exception,I had much of this on LP and these are the cleanest sounding digital transfers of this material that I've yet heard;the only reason to point up sound quality is only to underscore the fact that ( especially on the piano solos)the 1923-1924 accoustical technology did not permit the full tonal range of Jelly's amazing keyboard virtuousity to be heard;However,you can still hear the exquisite phrasing of "The Pearls" (all but worth the price of the CD) and the terrific left handed fingering on "New Orleans Joys",to say nothing of the wonderful rolling arpeggios on "Frogimore Rag" and not a word of his breathtaking technique on "Perfect Rag";the band sides are a revealing glimpse into Morton's polyphonic mind - he already had his vision of Jazz down pat,it only needed him to find just the right combination of musicians,which he ultimately did (of course) with the classic Red Hot Peppers work for Victor a few years later.
This CD is required listening for ALL Jazz lovers whether Hot Jazz,Cool Jazz,Bop,or whatever,because the history of Jazz can be heard loud and clear here in the hands of its first Genius! Don't Delay .... buy your's today!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best compilations of Jelly's early works, January 9, 2011

By 

Jason Weber - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1923-24 (Audio CD)

There are a few compilation CDs of Jelly's first recordings in the early 20s before the Hot Peppers, when he started off as a pianist in Chicago. A lot of these songs are gems and of course, this is one of the few compilations where the sound is not remastered or messed with much, but kept original. It contains a lot of scratch since it was transferred directly from old records, but the sound of the piano is crisp and clean under the scratch, unlike other compilations that dull the piano sound down while trying to remove the scratch sound. For as old as it is, the music has still been preserved well and is a huge piece of jazz history.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great recordings, May 4, 2011

By 

Heath Edan Combs "heath" (north carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1923-24 (Audio CD)

If you like the stuff that came after, most likely the victor recordings made between 1926 and 1930, these solo piano recordings offer so much insight into how jelly must have originally heard them at the piano. There's something beautiful about hearing these songs stripped down, before many would be heard on recordings divided into separate instrumental parts. Great stuff.