Johnny Dodds

The Johnny Dodds Collection 1923-1929

New Orleans-born Johnny Doods was one of great clarinettists of the early jazz era, his powerful, emotional and blues-heavy style setting him apart from some of his lighter, more elegant contemporaries. He did almost all his recording in Chicago, and this great value 50-track collection pulls together recordings from the creative core of his recording career during the 1920s. It features fine examples of his work with King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band and Dixie Syncopators, Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven, as well as Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers. Also included are tracks with early ensembles like the New Orleans Wanderers, the Washboard Wizards and bands that featured long-time associate Natty Dominique, plus various incarnations of his own bands. It's a fine showcase for his distinctive style and flowing virtuosity, which had a profound influence on subsequent clarinet luminaries like Benny Goodman, and it provides an entertaining cross section of the most important era his recording career.