There have been anthologies of Morton’s work before, notably a 2-CD set from Avid and a 4-CD Properbox, as well as the excellent JSP 5-CD set of Jelly Roll Morton’s Complete Recorded Work 1926-1930, with excellent remastering from John RT Davies. This 6-CD survey in two volumes is the most ambitious yet, and takes us from his first audio recording ‘Big Foot Ham’ in June 1923 to his final session that produced ‘My Home Is In a Southern Town’ from 30 January 1940.

For obvious reasons this collection omits both his piano rolls and his extensive autobiographical Library Of Congress recordings (which are available with much ancillary material from Rounder), but otherwise it is an excellent cross-section of Morton’s recording career.

The 1923 Gennett sessions with the New Orleans Rhythm Kings – arguably the first interracial jazz records – are included, though inexplicably ‘Mad’, a track on which Morton doesn’t appear, being replaced by the far less competent Kyle Pierce, is included on the first CD. By contrast from the same session, Morton’s own backing on ‘Milenburg Joys’ particularly behind Paul Mares’ cornet is a model of his ensemble playing. We have the chance to compare his version of ‘London Blues’ with the NORK against his own line-up three months later for the rival Okeh label, this later disc showing his arranging talent.

As well as some hokum with combs and kazoos, the best of Morton’s early piano solos are here. Speaking of kazoos, the liner notes credit Buddy Burton as playing kazoo on the trio ‘Wolverine Blues’ in 1925 with the much-underrated clarinetist Volly De Faut, whereas actually listening to the track might reveal that he was playing drums!

As soon as we get into the miraculous Red Hot Peppers sessions starting in September 1926, the set really takes off in terms of ensemble jazz, to match the beauty and precision of the piano solos. All the favourites are present, from ‘Black Bottom Stomp’ and ‘The Chant’ with clarinetist Omer Simeon and the propulsive bass of John Lindsay, to the immortal work with Johnny Dodds on ‘The Pearls,’ we follow Jelly to New York for the 1928 Peppers session with trumpeter Ward Pinkett and the Benford brothers on tuba and drums that produced ‘Kansas City Stomps’ and ‘Georgia Swing’.

The second box starts with Jelly’s 11-piece band swinging its way through ‘Burnin’ The Iceberg’ proving that this late 1920s period was fertile for him and worthy of more attention than it has tended to receive, though the rhythm section lacks the easy swing of the 1926 tracks. That feeling returns when Morton recorded with members of Luis Russell’s band, with Pops Foster and Paul Barbarin providing a solid swing for Henry Allen’s trumpet and Albert Nicholas’s clarinet on ‘Sweet Peter’.

Then we progress via the fine 1939 Bluebird recordings with Nicholas and Sidney Bechet to Morton’s final band recordings for the General label.

As a survey of his overall output, the set is unmatched, and one or two minor glitches of attribution or inclusion apart, it’s a first rate introduction to the man who claimed to have invented jazz. The mastering is slightly uneven, the early acoustically recorded tracks suffering worst, and not up to the standard of the JSP box. The 1939 Bluebirds with Morton’s late period band also lack the clarity of the same tracks on Bluebird’s own 1989 pioneering 4-CD set of Bechet’s complete work for the label. But these are minor cavils – it’s the music that counts, and the overall survey is essential listening.