I got a few wonderful responses to the second TwitJazzNet Round Robin on music from the 1920's, but not as many as I expected, I must say -- only seven responses? Are people not that into the early roots of jazz? Or maybe just not aware of where to start with this era? Would love to hear your comments on that...
Regardless of your experience with music from the early days of jazz, here are some gems as selected as "favorites" by our TwitJazzNet community:
Juan-Carlos Hernandez --
jchernandezjazz on Twitter-- selected Louis Armstrong's classic genre-defining performance of
West End Blues, with it's "eternal trumpet intro". A few others included Louis Armstrong in their submissions:
Federico Antin (
euskirmusic on Twitter), who named the Hot Fives as his favorite, and Seattle jazz photographer Bruce C. Moore (
brucecmoore on Twitter) included Armstrong in his list (more on that later).
Frank Pozen -
frankp316 on Twitter -- also claimed Louis Armstrong, and also added
Bessie Smith as a favorite. Here is Louis Armstrong doing
West End Blues, and Bessie Smith with Louis Armstrong doing
St. Louis Blues:
Another popular figure contributed by the TwitJazzNet community was the man who claimed to have invented jazz, Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton.
Federico Antin (
euskirmusic on Twitter) named Morton's band The Red Hot Peppers as a favorite, while Twitter user
fureousangel submitted the Jelly Roll Morton classic,
Black Bottom Stomp. Listen below to the original version from 1926, as well as a live version in 1994 from Jazz at Lincoln Center:
Another couple of great artists were chosen by some regular TwitJazzNet contributors to the Twitterstream. Pianist Barry Dallman of
Play Jazz blog --
playjazzblog on Twitter -- responded with Bix Beiderbecke, who "practically invented the jazz ballad with a gorgeously pure tone; the original jazz legend." Virginia music lover Fred Isler --
fredr1c on Twitter -- sent in this reply:
For me it's America's composer, Duke Ellington. His compositions and performances during the '20s were beautiful and electrifying in their own right and set a standard for great jazz big band and large ensemble creations into the '30s and beyond. Check out this excerpt from Ellington's 1929 movie Black and Tan Fantasy to get a feel both for how he worked with his soloists (in this case, trumpeter Arthur Whetsol) and how his orchestra blazed on stage.
For your listening and viewing pleasure are Bix Beiderbecke performing
Singin' The Blues with the Frankie Trumbauer Orchestra, and the aforementioned Duke Ellington clip of
Black and Tan Fantasy:
I love it when people go above and beyond the call of duty! Seattle
photographer and
Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra blogger and board member
Bruce C. Moore --
brucecmoore on Twitter -- gave me two wonderful lists: one listing his own favorites, and another listing for his father. Enjoy these two thorough lists from Bruce:
Bruce C. Moore Favorites - Louis Armstrong's Hot Fives
- Kid Ory
- King Oliver
- Earl Hines
- Jelly Roll Morton
- Duke Ellington
| For Father of Bruce C. Moore - Fletcher Henderson
- Paul Whiteman (Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue)
- Bix Beiderbecke
|
As for the favorites of the 1920's of your humble narrator,
David Marriott, Jr., I'm a big fan of all the music mentioned above, and also enjoy playing it, as the style presents unique challenges to the performer. One person not mentioned thus far that I greatly enjoy is clarinet and soprano saxophonist Sidney Bechet. I also have an affinity for the music of Fletcher Henderson (previously mentioned by Bruce C. Moore), having played his music many times with the Big Bang Band and
SRJO -- plus, I share a birthday with him, December 18. Here is a small sampling of both:
Hope you've enjoyed this little excursion into the music of the 1920's. For more on this period of jazz, be sure to visit
Red Hot Jazz, the definitive source on the web for early jazz. Stay tuned for another TwitJazzNet Round Robin later this week!
David Marriott, Jr. (@redraspus) is a Seattle-based jazz musician, educator, and blogger.
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