Jazz / Stride, New Orleans Jazz, Trad Jazz
Disc 1: Jelly Roll Morton Disc 2: Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong - Group Member, Trumpet Jelly Roll Morton - Piano Bill Dahl - Liner Notes Billy Kyle - Group Member, Piano Danny Barcelona - Drums, Group Member Hank O'Neal - Executive Producer Mort Herbert - Bass, Group Member Peanuts Hucko - Clarinet, Group Member Stacie Heyen - Cover Art Trummy Young - Group Member, Trombone
Birth of Jazz packages trumpeter Louis Armstrong's 1960 album Satchmo Plays King Oliver with Varese Sarabande's 2000 compilation of stride piano legend Jelly Roll Morton, Absolutely the Best. Both albums -- also available seperately -- feature solid performances by the artists and are nice introductions to their work. However, while the Morton disc features landmark sides the pianist recorded in the mid-'20s, the Armstrong disc is merely a solid late-career entry and by no means represents the stellar, essential work he did in the '20s and '30s. ~ Matt Collar, All Music Guide |