This week we present another interesting composition unrecorded by Morton and only found by accident! The great New York bandleader Vince Giordano was bidding on some vintage sheet music on eBay and came across this tune, “Croc-O-Dile Cradle,” written by Morton. Only the piano part and banjo part remained, but fortunately all the melodies were included in the piano part! Various people have re-created a full band version including the great Chicago stride pianist Paul Asaro with the Fat Babies, and the Norwegian pianist Morten Gunnar Larsen. We’ve created a duo arrangement and tried to give it the typical Morton feel! Hope you enjoy:
Secondly this week is “Tom Cat Blues,” an early iteration of the chord progression that Morton used to great effect in his classic “Winin Boy Blues.” This one also has a really nice verse, and was recorded by Jelly in a band arrangement under the name “Midnight Mama.” We’ve based our version on his 1923 solo recording.
See you next week!
Andrew Oliver 