Morton, born in 1890, was the first true jazz composer. His great talent lay in creating small-band music which sounded so natural that you could almost believe it had been improvised on the spot. But when you listen more closely, you realise that no band could ever improvise music as perfectly proportioned and well balanced as that. He created his music with the musicians around him, not like an architect planning a building, but like a gardener trimming and training naturally growing plants. This five-CD box contains everything Morton recorded at the peak of his career, between 1926 and 1930. The bulk of it is band music by his Red Hot Peppers, with a scattering of piano solos, trios, quartets and some larger ensembles. It took years for the producers to collect the best possible original copies, which were then remastered by John R. T. Davies, a world expert on the restoration of classic jazz. The result is almost certainly the best Morton edition ever produced--or likely to be. --Dave Gelly