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Jelly Roll Morton & Joe "King" Oliver

Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver

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This recording was made in Chicago on December 24th 1924 featuring a duet between cornetist Joe "King" Oliver and jazz piano wizard "Jelly Roll" Morton.

Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton and Joe "King" Oliver were both bandleaders from New Orleans who each possessed remarkable musical abilities.

The pairing of these two top musicians on record marked a monumental moment in Jazz History and is one of only two sides ever produced by the team. They were originally released on the Autograph label.

In December 1924 this was one of the first electrical recordings, though clearly the technology improved by the Spring of 1925. Here is King Oliver's style in bold relief, with Jelly's bouncy piano support, displaying many moments showing his looseness and a bit of chops in that one rip. This style was a step ahead of the "ragtime-y", though driving, approach of Oliver's contemporary Freddie Keppard. And it might be said that, without King Oliver there would have been no Louis Armstrong. -Daniel Weinstein