The early works of
Jelly Roll Morton
have been reissued ad infinitum, most prominently by
the Smithsonian Institution
and
Rounder Records
, respectively. This double CD contains a large chunk of the group recordings from
Morton
as a leader, including many of the tunes that made him the godfather of early vintage jazz. Principal among the some 50 tracks are those with his
Red Hot Peppers
, along with a smattering from his legitimate
Orchestra
, his
Seven
Levee Serenaders
New Orleans Jazzmen
, and
the St. Louis Levee Band
. The sound quality is very good except for the first two tracks, the thinly produced
"London Blues"
"Soap Suds."
Otherwise, this enjoyable compilation pretty much lives up to the title of "
Essential
" for this part of
's career. ~ Michael G. Nastos