New Orleans Rhythm Kings

Considered by many as the top white jazz band of their day, this group also made some of the earliest jazz performances on record. Their recordings from 1922 and 1923 (during which time they were actually based in Chicago) not only offer a good indication of what early New Orleans Jazz sounded like, they make for enjoyable -- if not exactly hi-fi -- listening in their own right. Several tracks from this era, including "Milenberg Joys" and "Mr. Jelly Lord," are of further historical interest as they involve collaborations with pianist Jelly Roll Morton.