Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe known as Jelly Roll Morton.
September 20, 1885 – July 10, 1941
Ragtime rules.
In both sound quality and price, England’s JSP Records continues to put the American major labels to shame with their prewar jazz collections. Following superb multidisc releases of seminal recordings by Louis Armstrong and Django Reinhardt, JSP now offers this Jelly Roll Morton compendium, which includes all his Victor recordings from 1926 to 1930. Thanks to the work of remastering guru John R.T. Davies and a sinfully reasonable price, this five-disc collection far surpasses any U.S. release. The music is exuberant and evocative throughout, as Morton’s substantial composing and arranging talents come into clear focus. He was able to maintain the joyous ensemble spirit of New Orleans jazz while continuing the music’s evolution toward swing’s sophistication. Focusing on Morton’s Chicago prime, volume 1 is full of highlights, not just of this set, but of early jazz as a whole. Especially noteworthy is the trio date with the Dodds brothers, from June 1927, that yielded “The Pearls,” “Wolverine Blues,” and “Mr. Jelly Lord.”