George Winston: Dirty, Dirty, Dirty... George Plays Jelly Roll

But in addition to teaching himself Hawaiian slack key guitar, Winston has been studying early jazz piano with Morton specialist Huck Twohig for several years and has played a few of Morton's songs for friends at private parties. This CD was recorded at such an affair, with Winston also assuming the swaggering attitude of Jelly Roll Morton, even if he isn't as accomplished a pianist, composer or singer as the New Orleans legend.

Winston even takes a swipe at Martin Williams in his vocal version of "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say, substituting the late critic's name in the first verse: "I thought I heard Martin Williams say / You're dirty and you sure can't play. His unexpurgated vocal version of "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor, full of obscenities, just like Jelly Roll's transcriptions for Alan Lomax, adds a funny twist at the end, as he jokingly thanks his host by quoting Jelly Roll's frequent interview comment (in the Library of Congress recordings) to Lomax, "This whiskey is tremendous!

Classic jazz it isn't, but you have to give credit to George Winston for trying to expand his rather limited musical horizons.

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