Jelly Roll Morton - Mamie's Blues 78

[cdbpdx]

Your record was one of a 5 record album set.

Here is an excerpt from a contemporary account of this album in the March 11, 1940 issue of TIME magazine:

"Last week in Manhattan Charles Edward Smith, historian (Jazzmen) and friend of America's native rhythms, produced through new General Records Co. an album of barrel-house tunes played by the greatest surviving barrel-houser — 54-year-old Ferdinand ("Jelly Roll") Morton. The album's title is Jelly Roll Morton's New Orleans Memories"

[Pentagonshark666]

Morton is the king of jazz.

[ScooterpupReljac]

My very favorite Jelly Roll recording.....perfect for a rainy day in New Orleans' French Quarter, looking off a grillwork porch.

[Gangstagran]

Every time I hear this I cry. So gentle and lovely. Ah! Jelly!

[wesrace1]

Back In the early 60's I hung The Moon On This! Thanks!

[IndependentGeorge76]

the complete Library Congress recordings are like a bible of jazz, blues and spirituals, all spiced in with jelly's bragging and tales of the seedy side of life in the Jazz Age. if i had to part with every item of my record collection, but keep one, then the Library Congress Records would be staying. We all owe jelly and Alan Lomax a huge debt

[skankined]

I've loved this song for so many years now - thanks for sharing!

[tipejou]

if you can't give a dollar...give me a lousy dime

[BuckshotLaFunke1]

This is New Orleans music.

[bluesmacmore]

What a prize of a record! "With her feets just soaking wet." Too cool.

[djoutrage18]

Well I'm just a 20 eyar old kid learning this stuff, but I doubt jrm was an ass. He thought a lot of himself, but man if i could play piano and arange myself I'd be a bigger asshole than him lol

and I've never heard of jrm dissrespecting Louis Armstrong, but it wasn't really the same playing field, was it? If as said above jelly thought armstrong was the 4th best horn player, that don't look like dissing to me really.

and, btw, where on earth did you get this amazing record?

[GangWolfLightnin]

one of my favourites are alabama bound !

[trufiend138]

sounds great!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[johnabenford]

Excellent. I don't suppose you've got "Don't you leave me here" as well?

- My favourite on the 10" LP this appeared on in the UK in the 60's (50's?)

[jahanacc]

This is my favorite jelly roll- I am proud to say that i have this very same 78. One of the few jelly roll vocals-most piano rolls.

[ParnHawk]

love it...

[bigcree]

Thanks for this ! Way good. History on Vinyl!!

[JRussoBuffaloNY]

not vinyl 33, acetate 78

[bigcree]

Okay. I`ll take your word for it!

[Chrisspy704]

when was it made?

[pianiplunker]

Recorded in 1938 or 39 I believe. He recorded a different version for library of congress in 38.

[john92165]

Perfect. Just as it was intended to be heard.

[h0b0ch1c]

through a crappy videocam streamed through youtube? just joking ;)

[Corrie121]

Great post.

Thanks for sharing.

[bennythewayfarer]

shellac porn?

[wininboy]

Shellac porn!

[quefarsa]

muchas gracias por subir este video, Jelly es maravilloso

[daddystovepipe]

Not only a great pianoplayer but such a fine singer as well...

[wininboy]

Amen!

[pat7893]

I learned from my late father that "Can rusha" meant the person who went across the street to bring back a can of beer for everyone, and who then could then take over the piano playing.

[woofer32]

just wonderful - this is also known as 219 blues. if you like this then you'll probably like Jimmy Yancey as well. I think this man was much much more important than Scott Joplin as a write and a player.

[jlguerreros]

could u post the lyrics of the song???

[petitepantoufle]

hello guys,

i'm an 16-year old piano player and i really adore jelly roll morton's music. I'm trying to learn mamie's blues but i can't understand what he's saying at the beginning (english is not my mother tongue). Could you help me?

[tjbozat]

Here's what JR says at the beginning of the song:

This was the first blues that I no doubt heard in my life

Mamie Desdunes this was her favorite blues

She hardly could play anything else and more

But she really could play this number

Of course to get in on it to try to learn it

I made myself the can rusher

[petitepantoufle]

thanks a lot!!!

[lindyhoppers]

actually Morton calls her

Mamie Desdume

[TMFAP]

I have listened to the Library of Congress recordings - maybe he was cleaning up there but he sounds like someone who was ready to give credit where it was due when speaking about other musicians. He suffered fools (or bad musicians) badly and that might have been tagged to his name too often. A great man and deserves more attention than he is getting.

[wininboy]

Amen to that, brother! Morton's LoC recordings are certainly one of the most impressive documents in recorded jazz history.

[sika2003]

Well, still I am grateful for those bands and musicians who really get into those old styles, who specialize on it and can give one a feeling of what was going in New Orleans in the 20s. Live and in perfect sound quality.

[wininboy]

Me too. To stay in the Beiderbecke vein for instance, have you ever heard Randy Sandke's tribute to Bix (on the Nagel Heyer label)? It's really very good!

[sika2003]

No, never heard it but I will check it out!

[sika2003]

Harry James tries to play like Beiderbecke and Armstrong- and it just doesn't work. It's a pale copy, despite his great virtuoso he can't really get into their styles. Then they play their swing numbers and it's fantastic. And I am pretty sure noone can ever play arranged New Orleans Jazz like J.R. Morton. It's just the originality.

[wininboy]

Point taken!

[sika2003]

But the point is: One generation mostly can't really copy the stuff the others were doing. For example, if you listen to the great Carnegie Hall Concert the Benny Goodman band did in 1938, they play a few numbers of the jazz stuff going on before Swing to represent a little history of jazz.

[sika2003]

I think that's very true. Swing music was a great innovation - until it became so stereotype that it just needed a change which came with Be Bop. It's always the same, changes are neccesary but leave the old masters in the dust. Sometimes they can appreciate the new directions or even found it but mostly they keep on doing there thing and often get bitter with those younger musicians.

[sika2003]

Well, I just supect he could be generous with his music fellows who never reached his level of popularity. But the ones who surpassed him... maybe he couldn't take it. I would like to send u a link of an very interesting page, but no links allowed here... well just insert 'jelly roll morton doctorjazz' into the google search machine. Very comprehensive page.

[wininboy]

True, in a way, I guess. But Morton had a clear idea about how jazz, his 'invention', should sound like. It seems the times and tastes of the U.S.A. did pass him by. Which makes his life and genius all the more tragic. I myself find that jazz certainly lost sth. in the thirties. They didn't capture that sound, those arrangements again after. Luckily, a lot came in its place. Still, a different kind of music alltogether. I'm sure Morton felt the same way.

[sika2003]

Well, about Armstrong: Jelly ranked him the 4 best trumpet player in New Orleans, after Freddie Keppard, I think Bunk Johnson and even King Oliver,Armstrongs mentor. And he claimed Armstrong couldnt catch the essence of the melody in his improvisations.

[wininboy]

And don't forget Buddy Bolden... Well, Jelly was 15 years Armstrong's senior. This young kid trumpeter belonged to a different generation of jazz players that took the music in a different direction. Quickly jazz became a solo improvisers' art instead of the collective and polyphonic music it used to be.

[sika2003]

For example he dissed Armstrong pretty much... And he wasn't very tolerant with other musicians and seemed not to have much respect for their achievements if they were more succesfull. But as you say- that's only my impression from what I learned until now about Jelly. I really can't wait for those Library Records.

[wininboy]

Hey, call me biased. I never knew the guy myself. He led the kind of life that is the stuff of myths. Some of these he created himself. He sure could be hard towards musicians he didn't rate, but everything he said, he could back with his music.

I didn't know he dissed Armstrong much? Anyway, enjoy the Congress recordings! It is a stellar document!

[sika2003]

Okay, thanks for these suggestions, wininboy. Guess what? I ordered the Library of Congress recordings just 2 days ago and it will arrive in a few... You surely are right that there were a lot of jealous people. But I guess Jelly himself couldn't get along with people who were superior to him in some way.

[wininboy]

Thanks, sika, for this fun discussion! But seriously, who was superior to Morton? He was a major key figure in the creation of jazz music!

[sika2003]

Not superior as an arranger- he was the most there. But he wasn't an improvisator like Armstrong or Bechet and he also wasn't on the pianistic level of those Harlem Stride Players. He faced Willie the lion Smith in a cutting contest somewhere in the 20s and pretty much got spanked. Smith called him "Mr. One Hand" from that on. Well, I personally even favour his more unorthodox style from time to time. But as its reported his technic inferiority pretty much bothered him.

[IndependentGeorge76]

@sika2003 i think that the difference was more stylistic than technical. the New York players played a much more Stride style, which jelly never really did. he would always brag and boast about New Orleans guys being the best musicians, that many were glad to see him cut down to size. Duke ellington (who idolised The Lion) said of Jelly Roll "he sounds like an old lady at the conservatoire playing jazz exercises from a book", which to my ears is crazy, but Jelly gave as good as he got so hey...

[sika2003]

Well, maybe he was very nice to get along with. If reports of contemporaries and especially his own words don't count... Well, asshole is too disrespectfully. Let's just say egomanic...

[wininboy]

I suggest you read the wonderful book "Jelly's Blues" by Reich & Gaines for a more objective, more accurate account of Jelly's life. Or listen to his Library of Congress Recordings. Those are not the tales of an egomaniac, but of a passionate and complex man. A lot of his contemporaries who used to badmouth him, just didn't have his level of musicianship and they knew it. And Jelly knew it and reminded them, repeatedly. It is indeed recordings like this that show us why he remained the greatest.

[sika2003]

Aw, this is a beautiful number. You don't even notice what an asshole Jelly was here, lol. Delicate..

[wininboy]

Morton was an asshole? So you've known him personally?

[sika2003]

But this doesn't matter at all. Since he was the best arranger and ensemble musician back in his day. And he was a personality, hands down.