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Mr. Jim Page
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 In 1928, Jelly Roll Morton, Victor's "No. 1 Recording Artist" was
under contract to do a series of recordings. He penned a bunch of
tunes over a relatively short period of time (amazingly good,
too!) and recorded them with a new group of Red Hot Peppers. Here
Stomp Off recreates the Morton recordings, mostly neglected, with
expert musicians including Jelly Roll Morton specialist English pianist
Ray Smith - and look at that rhythm section with Howard
Alden, Vince Giordano and Pam Pameijer! The result is
glorious, melodic, exciting jazz that serves Morton's memory well
and will thrill his admirers.
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Record Label: Stomp Off Records 1318
Total Time: 69:38
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Tracks on
'Music of Jelly Roll Morton Vol.1'
| 1. Oil Well [3:45] | | | 2. Deep Creek [3:44] | | | 3. Pretty Lil [3:27] |  Preview | | 4. Try Me Out [3:31] | Preview | | 5. Tank Town Bump [4:15] | | | 6. Blue Blood Blues [4:17] | | | 7. Sweet Peter [4:06] | | | 8. Wild Man Blues [3:47] | | | 9. Jersey Joe [4:35] | | | 10. Primrose Stomp [2:51] | | | 11. That'll Never Do [3:46] | | | 12. Jungle Blues [3:27] | | | 13. Strokin' Away [3:42] | | | 14. Mint Julep [3:46] | | | 15. Shoe Shiner's Drag [3:19] | | | 16. Harmony Blues [4:33] | | | 17. Mushmouth Shuffle [2:47] | | | 18. Someday Sweetheart [3:09] | | | 19. Gambling Jack [2:51] | |
Reviews:
The Mississippi Rag, July 2001, Jack Sohmer:
Among the most consistently rewarding bands to be showcased on Stomp
Off, drummer Pam Pameijer's New Jazz Wizards has recorded two CDs for
the label before this series of Morton classics, the first devoted to
Tiny Parham and the second to Richard M. Jones, both Chicago-based
composers and bandleaders of the 1920's. While Parham was primarily
active as a leader of vaudeville theater bands, the New Orleans-born
Jones was an influential recording director for OKeh's race label.
Incidentally, the nom du disque of Jones' studio combos of the
mid-'20's, the Jazz Wizards, no doubt served to inspire Pameijer in
the selection of his own group's name. Here, though, the longtime New
Black Eagle Jazz Band drummer addresses his attention to a healthy
handful of Jelly Roll Morton tunes. Probably knowing well in advance
that he would be called upon to document at least one more volume in
this series, his first is confidently called "Volume I." However,
longtime collectors tend to develop a certain degree of skepticism
about such promises. After all, experience has shown in all too many
cases that ambitious plans sometimes go awry. In this instance,
however, things went well, and the second volume was in production
only a year after the first.
Recorded in 1997 and 1998, the two volumes, with tracks each, are
equally divided between relatively familiar titles, such as "Original
Jelly Roll Blues" and "Wild Man Blues," and other less well-known
numbers such as "Each Day" and "That'll Never Do." Conspicuously
absent from either of these discs, though, are the justifiably famous
"Black Bottom Stomp" and "The Chant," which fact alone augurs well for
a thrid, and possibly fourth, volume of other Morton-derived material
in the future. Certainly there's no shortage of good tunes literally
crying to be heard again.
Pameijer's personnels over these two volumes retain an admirable
consistency, which speaks not only for the leader's good taste, but
also for the loyalty and conviction of his chosen sidemen. The
remarkably versatile cornetist Peter Ecklund, the rip-roaring
trombonist Jim Snyder, and the long respected clarinetist and altoman
Billy Novick are present on both sessions, as are also the Morton
specialist, pianist Ray Smith, banjoist/guitarist Howard Alden, and
bassist/tubaist Vince Giordano. The only differences between the two
are that on the first volume John Otto plays the clarinet and tenor,
while Dan Block, playing clarinet and alto, is featured on the second.
Veteran Black Eagler cornetist Tony Pringle is also added on the
second to fill out the ensemble on two tunes, "New Orleans Bump" and
"Fussy Mabel." Needless to say, the band's approach to the various
performances remains as faithful as possible, stopping only short of
personal blood-letting in the service of the king.
Thanks to arrangements by Ecklund, Snyder, Novick, Otto, and Smith,
the ensemble comes off with nary a pin out of place, and the soloists,
while generally respectful of their predecessors' places in history,
all manage to speak in their own voices. Ecklund may be the most
individualistic of the Wizards' interpreters, but it is also a joy to
hear how close Otto comes to Johnny Dodds' tone and phrasing, how
Novick manuevers his own idiomatic style into Mortonian dimensions,
how Block infuses his every solo with Noone- and Nicholas-like grace,
and how Snyder harnesses his customary rambunctiousness into the
designs that Morton had so imperiously fashioned in the long-ago. Not
to be overlooked in this assembly are the many Mortonian contributions
of one time Don Ewell student Smith, as well as the solos of Alden,
both on the banjo and guitar, and Giordano. A past master of New
Orleans style drumming, Pameijer is as unobtrusive as he is effective.
Although it is hard to imagine any lovers of classic New Orleans jazz
who have not long owned complete collections of Morton, there still
exists the possibility of some out there who have not yet fully
committed themselves. For those folks, as well as old-timers who want
to check out current views on the subject, these two volumes are
recommended.
Jazz Journal, September 2000, Peter Silvester:
This revivalist band under the leadership of drummer Pam
Pameijer has dedicated the CD to the music of Jelly Roll Morton,
covering the period from about 1928 when Morton was working and
recording on the east coast.
Some of the arrangements follow closely those of the originals,
as on Deep Creek, where the trombone technique of Jim Synder is
allowed its full scope. The band sustains a good rhythm on
several tunes-listen to them swing on Try Me Out and Pretty
Lil-but are somewhat leaden on others with the rhythm section
failing to give the necessary lift and push, Pianist Ray Smith,
who incidentally wrote the useful liner notes, takes a sound
Mortonesque solo spot on Jersey Joe and reproduces the maestro's
touch throughout his playing. He is less assertive than Morton
however and, as a result, less integrated within the band, because as
leader, Jelly also had overall responsibility for the
arrangements and quality of music.
Jungle Blues is one of the more successful recreations with the
clarinet solos of Bill Novick comparing well with the originals
of Johnny Dodds. Similarly, the tempo of Mint Julep is
right; the band is relaxed and captures Morton's seemingly
effortless improvisation within a carefully planned framework.
It would be invidious to fault the enthusiasm and dedication of
this group. The result is something of a curate's egg which does
not quite measure up to the best of the current revivalist bands.
In The favour it must be said that the musicians sound
better integrated as the CD progresses perhaps reflecting a
need for more rehearsal time on future recordings.
No Votes have been recorded
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List Price: $16.97
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