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The Missing Jelly Roll Morton Piano Rolls
By Frank Himpsl

In reference to Michael Swanson's email regarding the missing piano
rolls recorded by Jelly Roll Morton, there are four titles altogether
which have to this day not been accounted for.  All of these were
issued on the Vocalstyle "Instrumental Series" (i.e. no lyrics printed
on roll), which number in the 50,000's.   The missing titles are:

 1.   The Pearls
 2.   Mamanita
 3.   Kansas City Stomp
 4.   New Orleans Blues

It is any jazz roll collector's fondest desire to find (or perhaps
to just to live long enough to hear) one of these missing performances
by the great JRM.  The last of the original "missing" Vocalstyles
to turn up was the song roll of "Tom Cat Blues," and that happened
almost 30 years ago now.   So, maybe we're due for some change of luck,
who knows!

Please, all members of MMD, do check your collections for any of these
missing titles.  The label is a pale blue (solid color on white)
inscribed Vocalstyle at top.  All of the tunes are original
compositions by Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, and they are inscribed
as "played by Jelly Roll Morton" on the bottom of the roll/box label.

You will make the jazz history books if you have one of these, and a
lot of collectors will be made very happy in the process.  I'll make a
standing offer to anyone having one of these rolls to handle all costs
involved in copying (i.e. recutting) and distribution of recuts to
collectors at no cost to the owner, returning 100% of the proceeds back
to the owner along with the original roll.

Somebody, somewhere out there, must have one of these.  Let's hope so.

All Best,

Frank Himpsl


(Message sent Mon 22 Feb 1999, 19:46:37 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Jelly, Missing, Morton, Piano, Roll, Rolls

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