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In another installment of our series revisting tunes we put out a while back, your song-of-the-month for April, Jelly Roll's "Jungle Blues," can also be heard on our 2005 CD, "Panoramaland."

You probably already know that Jelly Roll Morton (né Ferdinand LaMothe), was a Creole pianist and composer born in New Orleans, the self-professed "Inventor of Jazz." He grew up in that red house on the downtown riverside corner of Frenchmen and N Robertson. Sometimes when I'm stuck in the perpetual clusterf*ck trying to make a left from Elysian Fields onto N Claiborne, I turn on Robertson instead, go right on Frenchmen, give thanks to Mr. Jelly, then dodge the cars zooming down off the I-10 to hang a left on Claiborne, get on the ramp and head back uptown.

I haven't found much info online about "Jungle Blues," so I'll just tell you what I like about it. Apart from the intro and coda, the entire tune marches onward over one chord, thereby depending on other musical elements besides the harmony to tell it's story. In Jelly Roll's recording, as well as our 2005 version and today's offering, the tune opens with a fanfare followed by a 12 bar exposition from the trombone (played here by Charlie) in a call and response with a very noisy "China" cymbal. In fact, Doug chose to explore the role of the cymbals, using a little splashy one in conversation with Aurora on alto sax then employing both throughout to comment further on the dialogue.

There are other conversations going on in this one, including a two-way thing between Simon on accordion and Mark on banjo. Other variations in texture include a few tutti shouts juxtaposed by ensemble counterpoint jam-ups and a string of solo breaks started by Matt on the tuba who otherwise holds down the root and fifth of that single E-flat chord.

We hope you enjoy Jungle Blues and that it puts a little extra bounce in your step this month. Thanks as always for your support, we couldn't do this without you!

Yours,
Ben
Panorama Jazz Band / Panorama BRASS Band
New Orleans, LA

credits

from Song​-​of​-​the​-​Month Club: Good Music For You, released May 1, 2015
Panorama Jazz Band:
Ben Schenck - Clarinet
Aurora Nealand - Alto Saxophone
Charlie Halloran – Trombone
Simon Moushabeck - Accordion
Mark Rubin - Tenor Banjo
Matt Perrine - Tuba
Doug Garrison - Drum Set

Music by Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton / MPL MUSIC PUBLISHING, INC. OBO EDWIN H. MORRIS & CO)
Arranged by Farrell, Schenck, Nealand, Halloran, Moushabeck, Rubin, Perrine, Garrison
Publisher - Snack Daddy Music
Recorded and edited by Chris Butcher February 15, 2024 at Butcher Studios, New Orleans, LA.
Mixing and mastering by Lu Rojas
Cover photo by Chris Butcher
Graphic design by Ben Schenck
Released Aril 1, 2024

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Panorama Jazz Band / Panorama Brass Band - New Orleans image

Panorama Jazz Band / Panorama Brass Band - New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana

"New Orleans' genre fluid jazz band"

The Panorama Jazz Band and the Panorama Brass Band have been working steadily in New Orleans and beyond since 1995. Many hundreds of nightclub gigs, festivals, weddings, crawfish boils and Mardi Gras parades have added to this community of musicians' collective experience, all of which they bring to each of their recordings. ... more

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