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I am not an expert but I have my likes, this is a very very hard core and just for jazz lovers record. Old recording, but high quality a must have for people who likes music like early Five Hots.you know
The ultimate accolade was bestowed upon the group by Jelly Roll Morton, who sat in on the two July 1923 sessions. The new band's venue rapidly became a hang-out for the up-and-coming jazz enthusiasts, including a young Bix (playing hookey from Lake Academy) and Hoagy Carmichael.
The first is the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, the second the later Quintette of the Hot Club of France, and the third is the subject of this compilation. Strictly speaking, the group recorded between March and July 1923, but this set sensibly includes their formative 1922 sessions as the Friars Society Orchestra, and the 1925 reincarnation of that title.
I can think of only three jazz groups which are identifiable by their initials. Thus the band was modelled on those classic black bands which had also made the journey north to the Windy City.
The NORK was a hugely influential group, for several reasons. First, both cornetist Paul Mares and trombonist George Brunies hailed from New Orleans, where the former had absorbed the music of King Oliver.
One of the attractions was clarinettist Leon Roppolo's playing, which had an ethereal quality which was quite unique, and can be best appreciated on the January 1925 session, the last one he undertook. This is classic jazz of seminal importance, and this set cannot be praised too highly, both in the completeness of its presentation and the quality of the remastering.
You'll hear surface noise from the original records throughout the CD, but the instruments sound fresh and clear. Davies, are about as good as we are likely to get.
And the recordings are still immensely enjoyable - the ensemble swings gently but steadily (unlike the more famous Original Dixieland Jazz Band, who sound overdriven and manic in comparison). If you're a fan of early jazz, these recordings need no introduction - the classic New Orleans Rhythm Kings (NORK)recordings from 1922 and 1923 are among the most famous performances in jazz.
T. Jelly Roll Morton performs on some of the 1923 records - a classic encounter.
These recordings have been reissued many times over the years, and these transfers, which were done by John R. I used to have these early NORK recordings on a Chronological Classics reissue, but Davies version is superior.
The collection includes a valuable second CD as a bonus: some excellent sessions led by the NORK's cornetist, Paul Mares, and a handful of rare 1935 recordings, also by Mares.
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