JOHNNY DODDS – 1927 | The Chronogical Classics – 603 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For those who wish to develop a strong relationship with early jazz, there are certain records that may help the listener to cultivate an inner understanding, the kind of vital personal connection that reams of critical description can only hint at. Once you become accustomed to the sound of Johnny Dodds' clarinet, for example, the old-fashioned funkiness of South Side Chicago jazz from the 1920s might well become an essential element in your personal musical universe. Put everything post-modern aside for a few minutes and surrender to these remarkable historic recordings. It is January 1927, and the band, fortified with Freddie Keppard and Tiny Parham, is calling itself Jasper Taylor & His State Street Boys. The exacting chronology works well here as we are given detailed access to the records made by Dodds and a closely knit circle of musicians during the month of April 1927. Three duets with pianist Parham lie at the heart of Dodds' recorded legacy. Four trio sides feature Lil Armstrong at the piano and some very expressive guitar playing by Bud Scott. "The New St. Louis Blues" is particularly impressive, in fact downright hypnotizing. Scott sounds a lot like Bobby Leecan as he strums and strikes the strings with great deliberation. Speaking of Louis Armstrong, get a load of how he cooks and swings through four incredible stomps with Jimmy Bertrand's Washboard Wizards. Bertrand himself was a lively character, Jimmy Blythe was one of the best pianists in town at the time, and by 1927, Louis was well on his way to becoming the most influential -- and painstakingly imitated -- jazz musician of his generation. The sheer vitality of these records is incredible. Each performance is a delight, and Fats Waller fans will enjoy the Wizards' spunky interpretation of Waller's "I'm Goin' Huntin'." The very next day, Johnny Dodds' Black Bottom Stompers made four records in a Crescent City groove. "Weary Blues" positively percolates, and a perusal of the personnel is illuminating. Cornetist Louis Armstrong, trombonist Roy Palmer and clarinetist Johnny Dodds are joined by Barney Bigard, who boots away on a tenor saxophone. 1927 was the year that Bigard joined Duke Ellington & His Orchestra, there to distinguish himself by playing the clarinet like nobody else before or since. How interesting to hear him laying down basslines and occasionally soloing with a big sweaty sax. The presence of Bud Scott, Earl Hines at the piano and Warren "Baby" Dodds behind the drums rounds out one of the most intriguing ensembles in the entire Johnny Dodds discography. The remaining eight sides, variously attributed to the State Street Ramblers, the Dixie-Land Thumpers and to Jimmy Blythe & His Owls, are scruffy stomps with washboard percussion by Baby Dodds, elegant piano from Jimmy Blythe, and the chattering cornet of Natty Dominique. These are among the best records that Johnny Dodds ever made, and the producers of the Classics Chronological Series are to be commended for having released them in this outstanding package. arwulf arwulf  
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JOHNNY DODDS – 1927-1928 | The Chronogical Classics – 617 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Cut around the time Dodds was wrapping up his association with Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Sevens, this Classics disc finds the venerable New Orleans clarinetist mixing it up nice and rambunctious with his Chicago Footwarmers. Along with brother Baby Dodds on washboard and vocals, the quartet featured a revolving cast that included cornet player Natty Dominque, trumpeter George Mitchell, trombonists Kid Ory and Honore Dutrey, pianist Jimmy Blythe, and bassist Bill Johnson. Their sound was ragged and irrepressible, with enough in the way of top-notch solo work by Dodds and Ory to keep things truly exciting. And while these sides don't match the quality of Dodds' earlier recordings with his New Orleans Footwarmers and Bootblacks, they still qualify as some of the best work of his career. After checking out Classics' stellar 1926 disc of No Foot and Boot sides, don't forget to give these tight gems a whirl. Stephen Cook
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JIMMIE NOONE – 1928-1929 | The Classics Chronological Series – 611 (1991) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Among Classics many Jimmie Noone discs, this collection of sides from 1928-1929 stands as the best. How could it not, what with it's wealth of top-notch material Noone and pianist Earl Hines cut while flourishing in the Chicago club scene. And while the overall quality of the ensemble playing is a bit subpar at times -- certainly, there's not much here to compare to Hines' contemporary triumphs with Louis Armstrong -- the sheer joy and deftness heard in Noone's solos and Hines' backing make for an enjoyable listen throughout. Along with picaresque Noone vocals like "Four of Five Times" and "Ready For the River," the 23-track mix includes such classics as "Apex Blues," "A Monday Date," and "Sweet Lorraine." This works very nicely as a generous and concise roundup of some of Noone's best work. Stephen Cook
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KID ORY – 1922-1945 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1069 (1999) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Kid Ory was one of the first jazz trombonists, and the very first New Orleans musician of color to commit his sounds to phonograph records. The Classics chronology of complete recordings made under the leadership of Kid Ory begins with two smart instrumentals, recorded in Los Angeles in June of 1922. Originally issued on the Nordskog label as by Spikes' Seven Pods of Pepper Orchestra, these sides also appeared on Sunshine Records under the heading of Ory's Sunshine Orchestra. After the showy ragtime novelty "Ory's Creole Trombone," destined to be revived a few years later with Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five, "Society Blues" comes across with soulful sophistication. Mutt Carey's cornet interacts pleasantly with Ory's slip horn and the clarinet of Dink Johnson, brother of primal Crescent City bassist Bill Johnson. This is a rare opportunity to hear Dink blowing a wind instrument. After disappearing for a long spell, Dink would show up years later on record as a growling, beer-swilling ragtime and barrelhouse piano player. Four additional sides were waxed on or around that same day in 1922, using Ory's ensemble to back up two blues vocalists. Roberta Dudley sang with a lot of exaggerated, stylized vibrato, belting out the lyrics in an over-the-top manner. The second vocalist, identified as Ruth Lee, also warbles but sounds just a bit more natural than Dudley. The transfers of these old platters are as good as on any other reissue. In fact, judging from variances in surface noise, the same masters may have been used for Classics 1069 as were employed on Document 1002. The great thing about this CD is the consistent presence of Mutt Carey and bassist Ed Garland throughout, even as Ory's chronology leaps ahead 22 years to his West Coast comeback. Four titles, apparently the first ever issued on the Circle record label, find Ory, Mutt and clarinetist Omer Simeon supported by a strong rhythm section. Plowing through 1945, Ory led his band in the creation of a virtual blueprint for the New Orleans Revival by waxing a body of outstanding records in the style of his hometown. These wonderful performances became available to the public on the Crescent, Exner and Decca labels, and much of the material would be carefully revisited on Ory's finely crafted albums brought out during the 1950s by the Good Time Jazz record company. Kid Ory's music is substantial, entertaining and very reassuring. arwulf arwulf
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KID ORY – 1945-1950 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1183 (2001) FLAC (tracks), lossless

As a prime surviving trombonist from the dawn of recorded jazz, Edward "Kid" Ory served as the eye of a hurricane driving the resurgence of traditional New Orleans entertainment during the mid-'40s. His radio broadcasts and the excellent studio recordings he cut during the second half of the 1940s helped to repopularize old-fashioned jazz and paved the way for a full-blown Dixieland revival during the 1950s. A healthy segment of those works are represented here in chronological detail. Trumpeter Mutt Carey blows some of his best solos on record, and fans of the Mutt should be grateful to Ory for all of this recorded evidence. One index for this leg of the Ory discography uses the clarinet players as coordinates. Darnell Howard was sturdy enough, even if he got a bit lost momentarily during his solo on "Ory's Creole Trombone." Albert Nicholas performed with characteristic eloquence during a 1946 V-Disc recording of the old Crescent City street anthem "High Society," and Barney Bigard shone like a comet throughout both of the Columbia sessions from October 1946. Joe Darensbourg, heard with Ory's band during the summer of 1950, managed to revive the use of slap-tongued clarinet without sounding foolish or dated. Bassist Morty Cobb was heavily featured during "Blues for Jimmie Noone." Ory himself was always dependably warm and gutsy, growling merrily on "Bucket's Got a Hole in It" and gurgling through his horn on "Mahogany Hall Stomp." Ory loved to sing Louisiana Creole French songs in his deep voice, cordially enunciating each lyric -- in a register lower than the trombone -- on "Eh, La Bas," "Creole Song," and "Creole Bo Bo" (the "Bo Bo" being a sort of dance). The other two singers are Helen Andrews, possessor of a booming voice corrugated with regular sheets of vibrato, and the soulful Lee Sapphire. Andrews was entrusted with a spiritual and a lament, while Sapphire handled the songs dealing with interpersonal relationships. Most importantly, perhaps, these 21 recordings represent a wealth of great old-time melodies. Here is "Bill Bailey" with the verse included. Here is "The World's Jazz Crazy," sounding a lot like "Ballin' the Jack." Here's "At a Georgia Camp Meeting" in all its 1890s splendor. And here is that harmless novelty "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula," refreshingly brisk and brusque, with imitation "Polynesian" percussion provided by Minor "Ram" Hall. arwulf arwulf
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