JSP's two-disc collection of
King Oliver's 1929-1930 work, recorded in New York for
Victor Records, is not exhaustive, nor does it focus on his greatest era (which would be the early-'20s recordings including the great
"Dippermouth Blues"). However, the end of the '20s was the time of
King Oliver's last burst of creativity, and while these recordings may be less startlingly fabulous than what
Oliver and his band were doing earlier in the decade, they're still potent examples of early
jazz. Listening to these recordings, it's clear that
Oliver has been paying attention to the meteoric rise of his former star pupil
Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five.
Oliver is using a larger combo than
Armstrong (featuring the great
Barney Bigard on clarinet on several tracks), but the same sort of sprightly syncopation, along with a much fuller sound than on
Oliver's earlier records, is apparent on tracks like the swinging
"I'm Lonesome, Sweetheart." Purists should be aware that
King Oliver was in increasingly poor health by this time, and he does not always play cornet on these sides. ~ Stewart Mason
