Mainly Morton
Geoff Cole's Red Hot Seven

TRACKS
Beale Street Blues (Smoke House) - Good Old New York - Sidewalk Blues - My Home Is In A Southern Town - Sweet Substitute - Burnin' The Iceberg - Jungle Blues - My Gal Sal - Mournful Serenade - *The Animule Ball - Dirty Dirty Dirty - Oh! Baby - Someday Seetheart - Deep Creek - Blue Lou - *Don't You Leave Me Here.
* Piano Solos

Recorded at the Bull's Head in Barnes, South London on 2 November 1996.
Recording by Dave Bennett. Mastering by Richard P. Robinson.
Photos/video Jill Spencer. Liner Notes Big Bill Bissonnette.
Jazz Crusade JCCD-3025. 585 Pond Street, Bridgeport,Connecticut 06606 USA.
Reviewed by KJR on beta Windows 2000 Professional sound recorder. IBM Aptiva Computer. ddd time 71.36 minutes.

Come October next, it will be 110 years since the birth of Jelly Roll Morton, pianist, bandleader, composer, performer, improvisor, arranger, impresario, creator of double-times-breaks-figures (riffs), artificer of other mentions, but not here, who not only had stated that he was born five years earlier, but proclaimed that it was he who in 1902 invented jazz, as has KJR proclaimed that Traditional jazz is England's true musical culture, so herewith, let anyone with proof refute those utterings.

It comes with uncanny comfort to me that an American trombonist well versed in New Orleans jazz culture, chooses with confidence to place a tall order on another trombonist, even one who is among the finest in England, to produce a CD on the works of Mr Jelly Roll of New Orleans creole parentage, who in the mid 20s with his Red Hot Peppers justifiably renowned for classic jazz, was the major producer of music for the Victor Recording Company.

By providing on the one hand, and in the taking up of this challenge on the other hand, I will speculate that both trombonists were aware, that the left Jelly Roll piano hand, was a Morton influence and guiding hand of trombone scores, special for his Peppers and musical cadre further afield.

Perhaps only two tracks are included which Jelly did not record or have accredited to his name, hence the title of the album, yet, I can envisage 'Shapes Of Morton' if, Don't Say No, Say Maybe or Sweet Baby, What Are You Doing To Me take your pick Oh! Baby, and the other one, Blue Lou had been left out.
The works of Jelly Roll Morton are well documented in Brian Rust's Jazz Records 1897-1942 and are well worth a study.

A great deal of thought and direction has been taken by the Geoff Cole Red Hot Seven, to produce this tour-de-force of such artistic significance, as I sense it, through the first three numbers' variant structures in their recordings; Beale Street (Smoke House Blues) Chicago in the mid 20s, popular with UK traditionalists, here the Hot Seven do make it swing, then Good Old New York New York in 1940, returning to Sidewalk Blues of the whistle and car hooter (Model T !) and the Jelly Roll admonishings, another of the Chicago 20s collection, so instantly, outwith the enjoyment of, one feels as if one is listening to an accomplished Jelly Roll Morton interpretation of high order.

In getting us into the mood for Jelly Roll Morton there are two piano solo numbers; The Animule Ball, a scat song, and Don't You Leave Me Here a 1939 Morton Band, New York recording, which Pat Hawes on the ivories captures, sending out a nice setting. In the following year, Dirty Dirty Dirty, My Gal Sal, My Home Is In A Southern Town undoubtedly New Orleans, and Sweet Substitute were recorded. Furthermore, Mournful Blues by a Morton quartet, and Deep Creek, both having been recorded early on in Jelly's arrival around 1928 to the Big Apple, both beautifully played by the Hot Seven - two truly choice pieces - totally, a fine art, of created trombone, leadership group organizational control.

How can it be in mind? A truly sweet Alan Elsdon trumpet on My Home sent me into imagination, thinking I could hear the voice of Jelly Roll in song coming through and out from the bell of his horn - give tentative listening to it and other numbers alike in the album. Sweet Substitute, yes, true in the good meaning of the word, is sweet, the lilting, lovely-toned clarinet and melodic piano music must not be missed.

Alto burns up the Iceberg - red hot accompanyment, with Eric Webster banjo sounding to good effect, leading nicely into the mellow tones and harmonisation of colours through the lush everglades of Jungle Blues to tip-toe and hush, under a low ceiling in reality, to hear the Marchant and Matthews drums and bass rhythms so nicely warm, so wonderful in the process.

Someday Sweetheart with clarinettist Horace Eubanks in the Jelly Roll Jazz Band of 1923 in Chicago, here Tony Pyke with the Geoff Cole Red Hot Seven - early, delicate and wonderful musical sounds all around coming from those jazz artists.

The first half of Someday, the second half of Sidewalk, a yarn, a story, a dream for you to ponder together.

"Jazz music is to be played sweet, soft, plenty thythm. Where you have your plenty rhythm with your plenty swing, it becomes beautiful." Fred Jelly Roll Morton at the Library of Congress.

Although I'd give the Red Hot Seven a more adventurous one word description, but in the context of those Jelly Roll Morton words, I'll say yes, the Mainly Morton album is beautiful.