Panama, Pt. 2

In the previous issue of The Syncopated Times, we explored the similarities and (copious) differences between recordings of “Panama” made during the 1920s and 1930s. Variations on the routine continued on records made from the 1940s into the 1960s… JB: Hal, as promised, we are going to launch Part II with two contrasting versions by Jelly Roll Morton. In 1938, he performed a solo piano rendition for the Library of Congress. We’ve both lamented that he stops after the first two strains, but aural riches abound in the two extant minutes of music. Highlights to me are the medium tempo and loose, loping feel Morton attains and maintains. Absent is the increase in tempo that characterize many of Morton’s earlier solo piano recordings. This moderate tempo allows him to include incredibly complex syncopation in the left hand, mirroring the almost ethereal figures in the right, while never abandoning an earthy, stompy feel. Brilliant! Two years later in Manhattan, he led a septet through a frenetic, rather haphazard version. An incredible line-up—including Henry “Red” Allen, Albert Nicholas, Wellman Braud, and Zutty Singleton among others—never seems to gel; after playing the A and B section once each, Allen tries to repeat the B section while the rest of the band returns to A, resulting in a dropped bar. The band stumbles into the third section, albeit quickly recoverin