Jim Hession / New Orleans Joys / Jelly Roll Morton

[cabraatomica]

i like this very much but not the sound of that piano!!!

[dfranklin70]

The essence of COOL!!!

[lauraneville]

this is so great- no good words to describe it! I sit and smile and listen and smile some more. Thank you so much for posting this ( and all of them) Mr. Hession is incredible!

[Libelya]

everytime i listen to this......so wonderful awesome!!

[baloo481]

i think i have seen all your video and you are fantastic in each one!!! ( i hope that my english is well:) )

[jazznbear]

Certainly well enough and thanks for watching!

[Zedetnik]

Great!!!

[virtualdoom85]

Grande Jim Hession!!!!

[Wallerfan]

I was waiting for that wonderful section in the original 1923 version where Jelly Roll goes into free time (anticipating Dave Brubeck by fifty-some years) and would appear to have almost lost his place before he then returns to the habanera rhythm without a false step.

[Libelya]

La super classe! Wonderful....great!

[haycotrouge]

la classe

[DYNODRUM]

Jim -"you" are soo amazing ,what a gift to our ears ,I've, BEEN PLAYING ALONG W/ ALL THESE TUNES ON MY hihat and brushes... best jam and practice in years . This is heavy STUFF... THANKS...T

[HEADBANGING69]

Hi Jim. I do not think you realize just how great you are. The world of Jazz needs people like you to record this and also do performances worldwide. There aren't that many people on this planet that can do what you do. There are many classical pianists but not Jazzers that play stride and bop like this. Do you tour at all.??

[alzeppo]

Could be JellyRoll..Mister Jazz?

[aaron12345432]

you make things look so easy jim

[mxquattro]

This is brilliant, and Mr Hession is a long time hero of mine. What a pleasure to watch a master at work. Ive been playing for many years and would love to be able to play this piece. However I cant find the score anywhere, does anyone have a suggestion?

thank you!

bob

[jazznbear]

Send me an email address through YouTube and I'll make an attempt to locate and scan the music for you.

[Morahman7vnNo2]

You Should Make Piano Rolls For QRS. They Just Don't Stomp Out Jazz Like Jelly Roll Used To.

[handgrenadenopin]

wooooooooow jim's awesome! im playing piano too(just started his "jelly rolls blues" and i wanted to hear what the real thing sounded like, and woah! now i know that i picked the right song

[jeffyroll]

Ohh... please, play The Crave by Jelly Roll! Nobody on youtube play it good, even Morton on his disk plays it... strange. Mr. Hession, you are the only hope! Be so kind, do it as brilliantly as all your other turns! It would be so nice!..

[jazznbear]

Jim is just finishing up a Jelly Roll Morton CD project. Since I am the producer of that CD I will bring up this request and see if he will record The Crave.

Thanks for listening.

[boogiemusicfan]

hi, very well played like all the other videos you have on youtube. personally i like it when stride pieces are played in "shuffled" rythm as of minute 1.45 onwards in this video and not straight (even though) with a light swing). however most pieces are played straight, but i believe that all of them can be played shuffeled, but than they are not original anymore. What is your oppinion about it? regards maro

[jazznbear]

Thank you for listening. This piece was written not as a stride piece, but as a New Orleans Jazz/Habenera. Technically a shuffle rhythm relies on a pattern of 8th notes/dotted 16th notes in the l.h. See my vid on Honky Tonk Train Blues.

The beat established at app. 1:45 is a traditional New Orleans straight 4-beat. In my opinion a musician is entitled to interpret the supporting beat as he wishes, as long as he realizes the original intent of the composer.

[ypfong]

Hi Jim,

You really played beautifully :-)It's so joyful.

Is it possible to sent me this note?

Thank you so much and I do appreciate it.

Sandy

[Morahman7vnNo2]

Can You Please Play His "Maple Leaf Stomp?"

[jazznbear]

I am unaware of a Morton piece by that title.

Could you possibly be referring to Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag?

[Morahman7vnNo2]

Opps Meant Maple Leaf Rag(Morton Style).

[CBasie2856]

I'm learning this piece from listening and watching you play. Its extremely hard to coordinate those hands at the right time!

I haven't gotten past the first verse yet!

[jazznbear]

Okay, you've chosen to learn a piece with a fair amount of rhythmic subtlety. If you read music I would encourage you to also read the original score (paying close attention to the note values) and listen to Jelly's own recordings of this wonderful piece.

[jazznbear]

Part 2: Practice each hand independently, then try them together. Be patient!!!!!!We reviewed this cut and observed that I played the opening AABC sections fairly true to the original. After the C section I improvised several choruses in the Jelly Roll "language" before returning to the A section at the end-just keep that in mind. Let me know how you are progressing. Good luck!

[stone1home]

He has the timing too straight, and stiff.

[hudtloff61]

A virtuoso if there ever was one. You truly make the music look effortless.

Out of curiosity,are you familiar with Artie Matthews? I would love to see an expert perform the Pastime Rags.

[2006add123]

deepblue- you can order from Amazon "Ferdinand Jelly Roll Morton The collected Piano Music" by James Dapogny. It has good (in my mind) transcriptions of dozens of pieces including The Crave-from the Legend of 1900 and New Orleans Joys.

[deepblue839]

OMG FREAKING AWESOME i've been looking for pieces like this similar to the ones in Legend of 1900 and found that jelly roll wrote them but have been unable to find the sheet music

please send the link for the sheet music

[chunky120781]

phenomenal command of the ivorys you have. I can't believe Ray robbed that bass line.

[jazznbear]

You are referring to Ray Charles' intro to "Mess Around" borrowing from section 2 of this Morton classic. Good musical ideas continually recycle themselves. Many well known New Orleans pianists from the 40's to the present certainly owe a debt of gratitude to Jelly Roll and his early influences.

[Schrodinger2equation]

Just curious, is that an Estey?

[jazznbear]

This piano is a Kawai studio upright. Considering the long hours of play it gets in this club and the general abuse pianos take in the southern humidity it is still hanging in there.

[Herabicus]

azz signor Hession è na bomba... complimenti muove le mani sulla tastiera come un gabbiano sull'acqua...vabbè cmq bravo!!

[jazznbear]

Grazie!

[LeisureSoupLarry]

Hahah, nice peice, It looks as though a pair of hands are playing the piano with nothing else attached to them.

[goldberg72]

pensare che sprecchiamo tanto tempo davanti a questa cazzo di tv e grazie a youtube mi sono accorto che esistono queste persone che sono dei geni e ci fanno commuovere sul serio!

[1Jobs1]

Only:WOW!!

[1Jobs1]

Only:WOW!!!!

[fireballbunny1234567]

my class is doing a project on this dude

[BmsClassic716]

same.

[xxenergyxx83]

Hi Mr.Hession,I really love the way you play the piano,i heard all your video on youtube and they're simply wonderful,but i think i falled in love with Jelly Roll Morton's music,i've already learned to play "the crave" and honestly i also would like to learn the music that you are playing in this video.Could u help me telling where could I find the complete score?

Thank you a lot,you are great!!

[xxenergyxx83]

Hi Mr Hession,you are absolutely fantastic playing the piano,i heard all your video on youtube!

I'm a 23 italian boy,and my name is Pietro,I've already finished to learn to play "the crave" and now i falled in love with this music!I really would like to play it,but i need the complete score!!

Do u have it?could u help me?

You are really the best jazz music player i've ever heard before!!congratulations!

[losamfr17]

The quality of the image and sound is excellent compared to other videos. You master the piano with great harmony.

[pianopicia]

I admire you every day. I saw Art Tatum's performances and For me you are better than him!!!! You are the best!!!!!!

[pianopicia]

hello maestro!!! Do you remember when I ask you for composition called "Bufallo Steps" J.R Morton's. I was searching information about it and you are right. I found that it can be also called " Bufallo Blues". This two names are true because in some books this composition is called "Bufallo Steps" And in others " BUfallo Blues". Whatever, could you arrange it and showed me how to play it. I will be have debt of gratitude.

[MySerpentine]

I imagine, Mr. Hession, that you are from New Orleans. Why, in God's name couldn't Katrina have hit Dallas??!

PS That's some fine technique!

[jazznbear]

We moved to the Gulf Coast in 2003 and have worked in N.O.ever since.I wouldn't wish Katrina on anyplace including Dallas. If Katrina would have hit Crawford FEMA would have been there the next day and the photo ops would have been much more convenient. We only speak for a few hundred thousand of the residents of the Gulf Coast. The Fr.Quarter in N.O. has bounced back with determination.Come on down and enjoy the music,food and atmosphere of one of America's great historical treasures!!!!!

[pianopicia]

Master, Can you publicate one of the easiest of J.R Morton's composition. It called "Buffalo Steps". Morton composed it when he was a teenager. I heard it on one of the jazz concert in my country. Thank you, that somebody like you ( the best pianist I've ever heard) writting with somebody like me (totally amateur). P.S Sorry for my bad English.... Thank you MASTER!!!!!!!!!!!

[jazznbear]

I have located in our library the music to "Buffalo Blues" by Morton,published in 1928. He may have written it when he was a teenager. I'll try to get a video of it for you at our next studio session in mid September. As I have learned this music from older pianists, I am happy to share the knowledge I have gained with the next generation.

[pianopicia]

Hello my Master! Do you remember me? I'm guy from Poland. I was writing with you about two months ago. Sorry, that I didn't answer but I was on holiday and I haven't acces to the Internet. I come back today and I writing to you as soon as it is possible. During this two months, I was dreaming to hear your music, your piano.... amazing, brilliant!!!!!! You are god of piano playing

[jazznbear]

Good to hear from you again. We have posted many musical numbers on Youtube in the last two months-both in studio and in concert. By the way,please just call me Jim or Mr. Hession. I appreciate your kind words but the "god of piano playing" title belongs to the great American pianist Art Tatum.

[kotecomaradojazz]

I can´t imagine you are a man, not a devil.. man, you ARE absolutely fantastic !!

[anothertimewaster]

mate, i'd give my right arm to play like you - although leaving me with just the one arm would kinda defeat the point... quality stuff, how about The Pearls ?

[nekrorider]

if you give one arm to play the piano it better be the right arm...

[jazznbear]

My recommendation is to retain use of both arms and to avoid the long arm of the law......

[jazznbear]

Logic would decree that a FAREWELL TO ARMS would be detrimental. Keep working at it! I'm glad you enjoyed the vid...I do play the PEARLS and will try to add that video in the future.

[jazznbear]

okay, The Pearls are there..............I had already recorded it a couple of months ago. Enjoy!

[SteerforthBinoculars]

Five stars! Wonderful. I wish I heard more of this being played around here.

[takao691150]

very.

[fsngols]

Amazing Bravo!

[jazznbear]

Thank you for the comments. We are currently based in New Orleans but remain open to venues outside of the area as long as circumstances permit. As of now we have no scheduled dates in K.C. but "one never knows, do one?" Check our web site for appearances.

[maycopar]

I can't believe everything I am hearing on your posts. You are Fats Waller/James P./Jelly Roll all in one. When are you going to be in Kansas City?

[jazznbear]

Thank you for your comment and support! Those of us who have dedicated our lives to a music career humbly appreciate responses from others.......it makes all the hard work worthwhile.

[pianopicia]

thank you very much for your answer.!Oh my god...I can't believe that I'm writing with the best pianist all over the world. please, publicate more your performances. I can listening and watching when you are playing all day and night. I see all of your films and I don't know what to say, I can't find the words to decribe your amazing, amazing talent and genius.

[jazznbear]

Thank you again for your kind words. I notice that you are from Poland, a country that has produced Chopin and other great pianists. My classical piano teacher, Oscar Rasbach,was himself a student(in the early 1900's)of the great pianist/teacher Theodor Lestichetsky. Mr. Rasbach instruted me in the Lestichetsky method,stressing independent finger dynamics, which has been quite valuable in dealing with some of the more challenging jazz styles.

[pianopicia]

.....I playing piano for 9 years. I invade many of J.R Morton's pieces but my music compared with your's sounds like first steps in piano playing. You are my absolutely idol, you are better than every pianist and you are legendary just now. P.S sorry, for my bad english.

[jazznbear]

Perhaps what you are hearing is the combination of elements that have contributed to my piano style. Formal training in classical piano and composition are extremely valuable when combined with ear training,"take-downs" from recordings, playing with bands and learning jazz directly from older (in some cases, the original) jazz artists.

[pianopicia]

you are amaizing. I saw all of your performance films and I don't know how do you do it. you are all great and all your performences are simply amazizing. for me, you are the best pianist in our history. you are god of music, piano, jazz, blues etc.... ohh... briliant, briliant briliant!!!!!!!!!!!

[vaggourator]

i just love this song.. if anybody has the score for this please send it...

[barbone58]

interesant!

[beekim]

love it!

[LadyDaniStar]

great!