Kid Ory - The Complete Columbia Session 1946 (2014)

One of the most significant trombonists in New Orleans during 1910-1920, Kid Ory spent time in Los Angeles in the 1920s and then moved to Chicago in time to record with King Oliver's Dixie Syncopators, Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers, and Johnny Dodds and Louis Armstrong's Hot Five. The 1930s were mostly spent outside of music due to the Depression and the change in the public's musical taste, but Ory made a major comeback in 1944. At first he led a New Orleans band that played one number during each show in Orson Welles' radio series, and then the group became a popular attraction. Ory headed bands until the early '60s. In 1946, he was signed to Columbia to record eight titles. Those numbers plus three alternate takes comprise the bulk of this CD. At the time Ory was utilizing trumpeter Mutt Carey (who had played with Ory in the 1920s), a primitive but intriguing player. On the two versions of "Tiger Rag" (particularly the earlier take), Carey sounds very close to Freddie Keppard, the pre-King Oliver cornetist from New Orleans. His playing contrasts with that of the more swing-oriented solos of clarinetist Barney Bigard. In addition to his percussive trombone, Ory takes a pair of vocals and singer Helen Andrews guests on "Farewell to Storyville" and "Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho." This CD also includes the 1949 Ory Creole Jazz Band's radio broadcast in the Jubilee series. The group, with trumpeter Andrew Blakeney and clarinetist Joe Darensbourg, romps on seven numbers including "Savoy Blues," "12th Street Rag," and "Original Dixieland One Step." New Orleans jazz fans not already owning the Columbia studio performances will definitely want to pick up this excellent collection.