[Dixielandjazz] Jelly Roll Morton Program on BBC (Bert Thompson)

[Dradjazz at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/21/11 12:20:03 PM, 
dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com writes:


> Some fellow listees might be interested in the following program that was 
> broadcast yesterday on BBC 3: "The end of October 2010 saw the 120th 
> anniversary of the birth of one of the most colourful and lively figures in jazz 
> - Jelly Roll Morton. So to commemorate that anniversary, Alyn Shipton 
> explores some of the musical legacies of the self-proclaimed inventor of jazz. 
> Alyn Shipton looks at some of Morton's forerunners (including Louis Moreau 
> Gottschalk and Scott Joplin) with help from the pianist Philip Martin, and 
> at Morton's own musical style - with comment from one of the world's 
> foremost authorites on classic jazz and ragtime - Keith Nichols".It will be 
> available for listening until Feb. 27th at the following site:  
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yrhf7
> 

Thanks Bert for that head's up.   

I gave the piece a listen but found it very dissapointing on several 
counts:
1)   Only one band is heard, though a good one: an Alyn Shipton-Keith 
Nichols band probably assembled for the show;
2)   No recording of Morton, neither band, piano, nor Library of congress 
though the latter was quoted by Mr. S.;
3)   The show begins with a long (1/2 hour) dissertation on Morton's 
classical music roots, supposedly in the music of Gottschalk;
4)   The program goes 40:00 before we hear the band.

So an interesting, but very 'music conservatory' approach to Morton.

I'm currently in the process of preparing to post on my website an 
adaptation of a 4 hour program on Morton that I did back in the KALW days, circa the 
early 1990s when, BTW, you were kind enough to host a few programs and 
bring your band to the studio on at least one occasion.

Best,

Dave Radlauer
www.JAZZHOTBigstep.com