These 26 sides originally issued under the name of trumpeter Joe Morris have a lot going for them, but the main reason to get yourself a copy of this disc and play it really loud for the entire neighborhood is the continued presence of young Johnny Griffin blowing tenor sax like there's no tomorrow. On six sides cut for the Manor label in 1946, Griff cuts up in the manner of Lockjaw Davis, hammering away with abandon. Although the adventuresome electric guitarist is unidentified, he sounds like he might be George Freeman, who was present on the Atlantic sessions of December 1947. Here the bop element has set in a bit further, mingling powerfully with the R&B energies. Morris sings once in a while, scatting almost alarmingly on the rowdy opus simply called "Wow" and screaming like a banshee at the beginning of "Applejack." Beginning in September of 1948 the jazz players really start to file in -- Elmo Hope, Percy Heath, and Philly Joe Jones -- and every early modern jazz enthusiast will want to dive in and paddle around in these old Atlantic and Decca recordings. Check out Philly Joe's percussion and Griff's inspired improvising on "Tia Juana." Joe Morris blew fine trumpet and was a capable vocalist, but what makes this reissue so exciting is the presence of Johnny Griffin and a small pack of guys who were each getting ready to revolutionize the art of jazz. ~ arwulf arwulf

Producer, arranger, and engineer David Axelrod made his mark with Cannonball Adderley, Lou Rawls, and the Electric Prunes. Song of Innocence made critics turn their heads in its day, regarding it as a visionary curiosity piece; today it's simply a great, timeless work of pop art that continues to inspire over three decades after its initial release. EMI. 1999.

This is a good if slightly frustrating compilation from Holland-based Timeless Records. On the one hand, it's got all of this great jazz from the dawn of the music, the likes of the Original Memphis Melody Boys, the Original New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Isham Jones, and so on; on the other, it's totally without annotation, except for referring to British jazz legend Chris Barber's 78 rpm collection as the source for the material at hand. The transfers have been done well enough, as well, and the material -- most of it instrumental and all of it Dixieland-oriented, which is no surprise as, even beyond the history of the music, Barber's whole career was built around Dixieland's British offshoot, "trad" jazz -- sounds fine. But listeners will have to fill in the blanks as far as release dates and other information; it's great listening (which is essential, of course) but hardly edifying in any way beyond the ears. ~ Bruce Eder