JIM TURNER'S Jelly Roll Blues: A Tribute to Jelly Roll Morton

Jim Turner took over the piano chair in the Jim Cullum Jazz Band in 2003 after John Sheridan departed to work on his own. It's only fitting that the pianist playing in a traditional jazz band is devoted to learning the challenging early jazz works of Jelly Roll Morton, who in spite of being a bit of show-off and braggart, could back it up on the bandstand. In his solo treatments of 13 Morton works (plus a breathtaking "Tiger Rag," which was possibly composed by him, though no printed evidence has ever been located), Turner showcases the lyrical elegance of the pianist's songs while not resorting to play them like museum pieces. It was likely a challenge for Turner to avoid singing at least a few lyrics to some of the songs, though he probably wanted the emphasis placed on the piano. One exception is the closer, "Mr. Jelly Lord," which features vocalist Topsy Chapman sincerely singing Morton's self-serving lyrics, just as he did unabashedly in his Library of Congress recording. Fortunately, there is plenty of Morton material that can be explored by Jim Turner on future volumes.