I've been listening to the album of library of congress recordings called 'Anamule Dance' a lot lately. It is absolutely excellent. The sound quality is actually really good for such old recordings, and the songs and stories are really good. I was pretty shocked when I finally had a chance to listen to the lyrics to 'Make Me a Pallet On the Floor.' I think it might be the filthiest song I have ever heard. Who knew they were so explicitly obscene almost 100 years ago. Does anyone have anymore of the library of congress series? I'd be interested to know if all of them are as equally worthwhile as the one that I have.

I have a 5-disc set of his work from 1926-1930 remastered and re-engineered, I think the label is JSP, from the UK. The quality is surprisingly good. Hyena Stomp is my consistently favorite track, but there aren't any duds either. I love that his band is called the Red Hot Peppers! Very suggestive lyrics, more so than many artists of that time and later got away with. I imagine he would have been a blast to see in concert back in the day!

Agreed!!
I have not heard alot of his original recordings as you both have mentioned...a handfull.I would be very interested in hearing it.

Have you heard the album wynton marsalis recoreded as an ode to jelly role morton?Called Mr.Jelly Lord?It is good.He also has a song on the newer "unforgivable blacknuss" soundtrack about jack johnson.Called 'new orleans bump' and it credits jelly roll.It is a highly addictive track and very worth the downloading or buying that album as a whole.

I am gonna look for that comp that smenk mentioned.

I am curious why there is not a movie or some kind of documentary on this guy...just reading the backround on him on amg and a few other places was very intriguing.

Imprezu21's right. There ought to be a film about Jelly Roll Morton. He is one of the truly fascinating figures in jazz. Not only was he a great and highly sophisticated musician, but he had a keen sense of publicity and is well-known for having claimed to have created jazz.

Every volume of the The Library of Congress recordings is to be recommended without reservation. The JSP recordings Smenkharon mentioned are also an exceptional buy. People sometimes steer clear of them because like most JSP recordings, the packaging isn't very flashy. That's a mistake, because their quality is consistently excellent and they are generally priced right. As an aside, JSP's collection of the Louis Armstrong Hot Fives & Sevens, is one of the great bargains among must-own early jazz recordings.

The core of my Jelly Roll Morton collection is Bluebird's Complete Victor Recordings. At five CDs and coming from a major label, it's pricey, so look for it used, but they are probably the most polished of the band recordings and the liner notes are terrific.

The 20s and 30s were actually filled with recordings that are surprisingly raunchy (just consider the fact that Morton called himself "Jelly Roll!"). Years ago there was a terrific series of collections from Stash records featuring some great examples. For instance, The Copulatin' Blues included songs like "New Rubbin' on That Darn Old Thing," "You Can't Tell the Difference After Dark," and my favorite "If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sittin' on It Before I Give it Away." Stash was responsible for equally great gay and refeer-themed collections, but sadly I think they are all out of print now.

Now Playing: "I've Got A Feeling" Neva Dinova The Hate Yourself

LinnTate- Once again I am impressed with your seemingly endless record collection. I had that boxset of the hot 5s and 7s in my hands earlier tonight, as well as JSP's Carter Family set, which is one I have been drooling over for a while, but have not been able to aford or find used yet. Is the JSP set of the hot 5s and 7s considerably better than the Columbia set? I have vol. 1 and 3 from Columbia, but if it is worth it, I would sell them and switch to the other series. They are very new additions to my cd collection, but already favorites.

Check this out...

I put in jelly roll morton there and saw a ton of stuff...I often go there to find stuff i may not be able to find a used copy of...or a cheap copy.

I've had the advantages of working in both record retail and radio, so I've been able to acquire an awful lot of promos and take advantage of deep discounts over the years.

Deciding on the Armstrong Hot Fives and Sevens from JSP versus the Columbia box is a question of trade-offs. It used to be an easy decision as the JSPs have long boasted superior sound quality. The Columbia box, however, corrected the abysmal sound quality of their earlier reissues and upped the ante by providing liner notes JSP cannot and generally will not try to match. Once upon a time, that alone would have tipped me in favor of the Columbia box because a lot of what I know about jazz I learned from reading well researched and written liner notes back in the 80s when print resources were about the only game in town. Today, however, with the wealth of online resources, I'm inclined to say that I would take the great price tag and excellent sound of the JSP box and seek out the historical information elsewhere.

Now Playing: "Beg, Steal, Borrow" Bart Davenport