Johnny Dodds was so serious, professional, and sober amid the roaring 1920s jazz scene that he stuck out among his peers, yet his blues playing was so gritty that colleagues nicknamed him "Toilet." Born in 1892 in Louisiana or Mississippi (the archives disagree), he grew up in a musical household, sang high tenor in the family quartet, and started on a toy flute meant for his younger brother Warren, better known as Baby Dodds, seeding a lifelong sibling rivalry.

This deep dive follows his move to New Orleans in 1909, his studies with Lorenzo Tio Jr. and Charlie McCurdy, work with Frankie Dusen and Kid Ory, and his 1923 recordings with Joe "King" Oliver's Creole Jazz Band in Chicago, which he left over his hatred of touring and Oliver's declining playing due to gum disease. It covers his 1924 to 1930 residency at Kelly's Stables, recordings  ...