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Wednesday, January 24, 2001

coverRaymond Scott: Reckless Nights & Turkish Twilights
Scott's career as composer, bandleader, and electronic-music pioneer is just beginning to be rediscovered. Here, he mixes swing jazz with classical forms, exotica (long before there even was such a thing), and his own hyperactive melodies to create a timeless sound. Many of the bouncy tunes are recognizable from their constant use in cartoon soundtracks over the years: the classic "Powerhouse," a jittery mix of an edgy scherzo and a relentless march (as well as a favorite of Looney Toons composer Carl Stalling); the jaunty "The Toy Trumpet"; and the dizzying "Dinner Music for a Pack of Hungry Cannibals."

That review is from Amazon.com The music is not really jazz. Jazzlike. The pieces are incredibly well rehersed but no improvisation. Still wonderful to hear and you have all head him if you watched Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Ren & Stimpy, The Simpsons, and Animaniacs.

It made me want to hear some real pre-war jazz. I've been watching Ken Burns PBS movie "Jazz". While there has been a lot of criticism, it is still riveting. I've been listening to jazz for years but this certainly expanded my jazz world, particularly pre-be-bop. "Jazz" let me see how this music grew and put the different types into a jazz continuum. There was one big jazz composer that seems to be left out and that was...

Jelly Roll Morton: Birth Of The Hot: The Classic Chicago "Red Hot Peppers" Sessions 1926-27
Jelly Roll Morton was at a creative peak in Chicago in 1926 and '27, surrounded by first-rate fellow New Orleans musicians and with plenty of opportunities to record. Many of the musicians who contributed to Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings appear here--trombonist Kid Ory, banjoist Johnny St. Cyr, clarinetist Johnny Dodds, and his drummer brother Baby Dodds--while George Mitchell contributes sterling cornet leads. Each track is a compressed masterpiece, a jigsaw puzzle of written composition, improvised ensembles, solos and duets, often with sound effects and bantering comic patter thrown in.

A beautiful digital re-mastering. Truly hot! A great recording. Classic New Orleans Jazz. Now onto Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives and Hot Sevens.