Today’s first selection in the Morton project is the immortal “Winin’ Boy Blues,” one of Morton’s most famous tunes. It’s named after his youthful nickname “Windin’ Ball” which was evidently a reference to his prowess in bed…no comment! Anyhow, it’s a great bluesy tune and has VERY dirty lyrics which we have not included. It also has a very similar chord progression and melody to “Tom Cat Blues”, coming soon for comparison:
Secondly this week is Morton’s take on the “Weary Blues” chord progression, entitled “Burnin’ The Iceberg” This was recorded by one of his slightly larger bands in the late 1920s, called “Jelly Roll Morton and his Orchestra,” which was as I recall actually someone else’s band which Morton took over for some recordings. It’s a very quick stomp and the original has lots of drum features but we’ve hopefully captured the spirit!
Andrew Oliver 