Of the Black Swan Record Company's three volumes devoted to piano recordings which were originally released on the old Paramount label,
Paramount Piano Blues, Vol. 3 combines the work of several blues artists and one archetypal jazzman.
Jelly Roll Morton gets the lion's share, amassing no less than eight out of twenty titles, including "Mr. Jelly Lord" which is played by
Morton's Steamboat Four.
Georgia Tom Dorsey is heard cutting up heaps of hokum with
Tampa Red and the now all-but-forgotten Madlyn Davis. While William Ezell was capable of some fancy tickling as evidenced by his upbeat "West Coast Rag," his "Barrelhouse Woman" and "Barrelhouse Man" are closer to the low-down, slow drag-style of piano that wasn't never in a hurry and never will be. Bluesiest of all is Mississippian
Skip James; his "How Long Blues" and "Little Cow and Calf Is Gonna Die Blues" are sobering examples of how these kinds of recordings transcend mere entertainment to feel more like very personal, private rituals. Altogether, this is one of the better volumes in the Black Swan Paramount Piano Blues series, especially given the bracing combination of
Jelly Roll Morton and a small circle of similarly intense characters. ~ arwulf arwulf