Handsomely packaged in a deluxe piano-shaped container, this is the first complete and unexpurgated release of the 1939 Library of Congress recordings on 7 compact discs, plus a bonus disc of vintage interviews of Jelly Roll Morton's peers by folklorist Alan Lomax. The set includes Lomax's acclaimed biography: MISTER JELLY ROLL, which begins: "As I can understand, my folks were in the city of New Orleans long before the Louisiana Purchase, and all my folks came directly from the shores of France...." Born in the late 1880s, the famed pianist was performing at the very moment when jazz is said to have been born. This packaged set also contains a new 80-page book with an appreciative introduction by John Szwed and many rare photographs. Also included are expanded liner notes and a new, comprehensive transcription, with Alan Lomax's hand-written annotations included in PDF format. Jelly Rolls' remarkably detailed stories of the milieu that surrounded jazz's formative years are punctuated by his musical illustrations and stunning solo piano versions of his best-known compositions. The dandies, musicians, prostitutes, hustlers, and legends of Jelly Roll Morton's world are brought to life in the riveting narrative - an essential document of American culture. Includes, among the many cuts, such never-to-be forgotten songs as: "See See Rider," "Tiger Rag," "Salty Dog," "I'm Alabama Bound," "Steal Away," "Honky Tonk Blues," and much more.

Price: $128.00

Availability: Usually ships in 3-5 business days

Product #: 21202112