Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton (1880s – July 10, 1941) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ragtimeRagtime is an originally American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged", rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being...
and
early jazzDixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s...
pianistA pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers....
,
bandleaderA bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
and
composerA composer is a person who creates music, usually by musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of...
.
Widely recognized as a pivotal figure in early
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
, Morton claimed, in self-promotional
hyperboleHyperbole is a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally....
, to have invented jazz outright in 1902. Morton was the first serious composer of jazz, naming and popularizing the "
Spanish tingeThe phrase Spanish Tinge is a reference to the belief that a Latin American touch offers a reliable method of spicing the more conventional 4/4 rhythms commonly used in jazz and pop music. The phrase is a quotation from Jelly Roll Morton...
" of exotic rhythms and penning such
standardsJazz standards are musical compositions which are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive list of jazz standards, and the list of songs deemed to be...
as "Wolverine Blues", "
Black Bottom Stomp"Black Bottom Stomp" is a jazz song. It was composed by Jelly Roll Morton in 1925 and was originally entitled "Queen of Spades". It was recorded in Chicago by Morton and His Red Hot Peppers on September 15, 1926.-Technique:...
", and "
Buddy BoldenCharles "Buddy" Bolden was an African American cornetist and is regarded by contemporaries as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of rag-time music which later came to be known as jazz.- Life :...
's Blues".
Birth
Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe was born into a
CreoleLouisiana Creole refers to people of various racial backgrounds who are descended from the colonial French settlers, African-Americans, and Native Americans from the time before the Louisiana territory became a possession of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase .Historically, the term...
community in the
Faubourg MarignyThe Marigny is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Bywater District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: North Rampart Street and St...
neighborhood of
downtownIn New Orleans, Louisiana, "downtown" refers to areas along the Mississippi River down-river from Canal Street, including the French Quarter, Treme, Faubourg Marigny, the Bywater, the 9th Ward, and other neighborhoods....
New OrleansNew Orleans is a major U.S. port and the largest city in the state of Louisiana. New Orleans is the center of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area, the largest metro area in the state....
,
LouisianaThe State of Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state divided into parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. A baptismal certificate issued in 1894 lists his date of birth as October 20, 1890; however Morton himself and his half-sisters claimed the September 20, 1885, date is correct. His
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
draft registration card showed September 13, 1884 but his California death certificate listed his birth as September 20, 1889. He was born to F.P. Lamothe and Louise Monette (written as Lemott and Monett on his baptismal certificate). Eulaley Haco (Eulalie Hécaud) was the godparent. Eulalie helped him to be christened with the name Ferdinand. Ferdinand’s parents were in a
common-law marriageCommon-law marriage, sometimes called de facto marriage, informal marriage or marriage by habit and repute, is a form of interpersonal status which is legally recognized in some jurisdictions as a marriage even though no legally recognized marriage ceremony is performed or civil marriage contract...
and not legally married. No birth certificate has been found to date. He took the name "Morton" by Anglicizing the name of his stepfather, Mouton.
New Orleans
Morton was, along with
Tony JacksonAnthony Jackson, best known as Tony Jackson was an American pianist, singer, and composer.Jackson was born to a poor African American family in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana on June 5, 1876. He showed musical talents at a young age...
, one of the best regarded pianists in the
StoryvilleStoryville was the prostitution district of New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1897 through 1917.Locals usually simply referred to the area as The District. The nickname Storyville was in reference to city alderman Sidney Story, who wrote the legislation setting up the district. It was bounded by...
District early in the 20th century. At the age of fourteen, he began working as a piano player in a brothel (or as it was referred to then, a sporting house.) While working there, he was living with his religious church-going great-grandmother and had her convinced that he worked in a barrel factory.
Morton's grandmother eventually found out that he was playing jazz in a local brothel, and subsequently kicked him out of her house. "When my grandmother found out that I was playing jazz in one of the sporting houses in the District, she told me that I had disgraced the family and forbade me to live at the house... She told me that devil music would surely bring about my downfall, but I just couldn't put it behind me."Tony Jackson was a major influence on his music; according to Morton, Jackson was the only pianist better than him; he was also a pianist at whorehouses, as well as an accomplished guitar player.
Touring
Around 1904, Morton started wandering the American South, working with minstrel shows, gambling and composing. His works "
Jelly Roll Blues"Original Jelly Roll Blues," usually shortened to and known as "Jelly Roll Blues," is an early jazz fox-trot composed by Jelly Roll Morton. He recorded it first as a piano solo in Richmond, Indiana, in 1924, and then with his Red Hot Peppers in Chicago two years later, titled as it was originally...
," "New Orleans Blues," "Frog-I-More Rag," "Animule Dance" and "
King Porter StompKing Porter Stomp is a tune by Jelly Roll Morton.Morton himself first recorded the number in 1923 as a piano solo. He did not file a copyright on the tune until the following year. Also in 1924 Morton recorded a duet of the number with Joe "King" Oliver on cornet...
" were composed during this period. He got to Chicago in 1910 and New York City in 1911, where future stride greats
James P. JohnsonJames Price Johnson [also known as Jimmy Johnson] was an American pianist and composer. With Luckey Roberts, Johnson was one of the originators of the stride style of jazz piano playing.-Biography:...
and Willie "The Lion" Smith caught his act, years before the blues were widely played in the North. In 1912–1914 he toured with girlfriend Rosa Brown as a
vaudevilleVaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
act before settling in Chicago for three years. By 1914 he had started writing down his compositions, and in 1915 his "Jelly Roll Blues" was arguably the first jazz composition ever published, recording as sheet music the New Orleans traditions that had been jealously guarded by the musicians. In 1917 he followed bandleader William Manuel Johnson and Johnson's sister Anita Gonzalez to California, where Morton's
tangoTango is a style of syncopated ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, doublebass, and two bandoneons...
"The Crave" made a sensation amongst the early Hollywood set.
Chicago
Morton moved back to
ChicagoChicago is the largest city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and with more than 2.8 million people, the 3rd largest city in the United States...
in 1923 to claim authorship of his recently-published rag "The Wolverines" which had become a hit as "Wolverine Blues" in the Windy City. There he released the first of his commercial recordings, first as piano rolls, then on record, both as a piano soloist and with various jazz bands.
In 1926, Morton succeeded in getting a contract to make recordings for the US's largest and most prestigious company,
VictorThe Victor Talking Machine Company was an American corporation, the leading American producer of phonographs and phonograph records and one of the leading phonograph companies in the world at the time. It was headquartered in Camden, New Jersey....
. This gave him a chance to bring a well-rehearsed band to play his arrangements in Victor's Chicago recording studios. These recordings by
Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers are regarded as classics of 1920s jazz. The Red Hot Peppers featured such other New Orleans jazz luminaries as
Kid OryEdward "Kid" Ory was a jazz trombonist and bandleader. He was born in Woodland Plantation near LaPlace, Louisiana.-Biography:...
,
Omer SimeonOmer Victor Simeon was an American jazz clarinetist. He also played soprano, alto, and baritone saxophone and bass clarinet....
,
George MitchellGeorge Mitchell was a cornet player active in the 1920s.In 1926 he recorded with the New Orleans Wanderers and New Orleans Bootblacks , taking the place of the unavailable Louis Armstrong, and shortly afterwards recorded with Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers...
,
Johnny St. CyrJohnny St. Cyr was an American jazz banjoist and guitarist. He is most commonly remembered as a member of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven bands, as well as the early ensemble recordings led by Jelly Roll Morton.From 1961 until his death in 1966, St...
,
Barney BigardAlbany Leon Bigard, aka Barney Bigard, was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist, though primarily known for the clarinet....
,
Johnny DoddsJohnny Dodds was a New Orleans based jazz clarinetist and alto saxophonist, best known for his recordings under his own name and with bands such as those of Joe "King" Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Lovie Austin and Louis Armstrong. Dodds was also the older brother of drummer Warren "Baby" Dodds...
, and
Baby DoddsWarren "Baby" Dodds was a jazz drummer born in New Orleans, Louisiana."Baby" Dodds was the younger brother of clarinetist Johnny Dodds. He is regarded as one of the very best jazz drummers of the pre-big band era, and one of the most important early jazz drummers...
. Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers were one of the first acts booked on tours by
MCAMCA, Inc. was an American corporation in the music and television businesses. MCA published music, booked acts, ran a record company, and distributed television productions and home videos.-The Early Years:...
.
New York City
In November 1928 Morton married showgirl Mabel Bertrand in
Gary, IndianaGary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population was 102,746 at the 2000 census, making it the fifth largest city in the state. Gary was once the second largest city...
and moved to
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, where he continued to record for Victor. His piano solos and trio recordings are well regarded, but his band recordings suffer in comparison with the Chicago sides where Morton could draw on many great New Orleans musicians for sidemen. Although he did record with such great musicians as clarinetists
Omer SimeonOmer Victor Simeon was an American jazz clarinetist. He also played soprano, alto, and baritone saxophone and bass clarinet....
,
George BaquetGeorge Baquet was an American jazz clarinetist, known for his contributions to early jazz in New Orleans.His father, Theogene Baquet, was also a clarinetist, as were his brothers, Achille and Harold...
,
Albert NicholasAlbert Nicholas was an American jazz reed player.Nicholas's primary instrument was the clarinet, which he studied with Lorenzo Tio in his hometown of New Orleans. Late in the 1910s he played with Buddy Petit, King Oliver, and Manuel Perez...
, Wilton Crawley,
Barney BigardAlbany Leon Bigard, aka Barney Bigard, was an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist, though primarily known for the clarinet....
,
Lorenzo TioLorenzo Tio Jr. was a master clarinetist from New Orleans, as were his father Lorenzo Tio Sr. and uncle Louis "Papa" Tio...
and
Artie ShawArthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader...
, trumpeters Bubber Miley,
Johnny DunnJohnny Dunn was an American traditional jazz trumpeter and Vaudeville performer born in Memphis, Tennessee, probably best known for his work during the 1920s with musicians like Perry Bradford or Noble Sissle....
and Henry "Red" Allen, saxophonists
Sidney BechetSidney Bechet was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, and composer.He was one of the first important soloists in jazz , and was perhaps the first notable jazz saxophonist of any sort...
, Paul Barnes and
Bud FreemanLawrence "Bud" Freeman was a U.S. jazz musician, bandleader, amd composer, known mainly for playing the tenor saxophone, but also able at the clarinet. He had a smooth and full tenor sax style with a heavy robust swing. He was one of the most influential and important jazz tenor saxophonists of...
, bassist
Pops FosterGeorge Murphy "Pops" Foster was a jazz musician best known for his vigorous playing of the string bass. He also played the tuba and trumpet professionally....
, and drummers
Paul BarbarinAdolphe Paul Barbarin was a New Orleans jazz drummer, usually regarded as one of the very best of the pre-Big Band era jazz drummers....
,
Cozy ColeCozy Cole was a jazz drummer who scored a #1 Cashbox magazine hit with the record "Topsy Part 2". "Topsy" peaked at number three on Billboard Hot 100, and at number one on the R&B chart. . The recording contained a lengthy drum solo, and was one of the few drum solo recordings that ever made the...
and
Zutty SingletonArthur James "Zutty" Singleton was an influential American early jazz drummer.Singleton was born in Bunkie, Louisiana and raised in New Orleans. He was working professionally with Steve Lewis by 1915. He served with the United States Navy in World War I...
, Morton generally had trouble finding musicians who wanted to play his style of jazz, and his New York sessions failed to produce a hit. With the
Great DepressionThe Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and the near collapse of the phonograph record industry, Morton's recording contract was not renewed by Victor for 1931. Morton continued playing less prosperously in New York, briefly had a radio show in 1934, then was reduced to touring in the band of a traveling burlesque act while his compositions were recorded by
Fletcher HendersonFletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was often known as "Smack" Henderson.-Biography:...
,
Benny GoodmanBenjamin David Goodman was an American jazz musician, clarinetist and bandleader, known as "King of Swing", "Patriarch of the Clarinet", "The Professor", and "Swing's Senior Statesman"....
and others, though he received no royalties from these recordings.
Washington, DC
In 1935, Morton moved to Washington, DC, to become manager and piano player at a
diveA dive bar, or dive, is a downmarket drinking establishment frequented by a poor or working class clientele.- Etymology :The term “dive” dates from London in the 19th century, when young men wanted a livelier place in which to spend their afternoons than the gentlemen’s clubs frequented by their...
called at various times the "Music Box", "Blue Moon Inn" and "Jungle Inn" in the
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa. In the United States, the terms are generally used for Americans with at least partial Sub-Saharan African ancestry...
neighborhood of
ShawShaw is a neighborhood located in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. It is roughly bounded by N Street, NW to the south; New Jersey Avenue, NW to the east; Florida Avenue, NW to the north; and 11th Street, NW to the west--although there is a westward panhandle that extends to 16th Street...
. (The building that hosted the nightclub still stands, at 1211 U Street NW.) Morton was also the master of ceremonies, bouncer, and bartender of the club. He was only in Washington for a few years; the club was owned by a woman named Cordelia who allowed all her friends free admission and drinks, which prevented Morton from making the business a success. When Morton got stabbed by one of her disgruntled friends in 1938 in which he suffered wounds to the head and chest, his wife Mabel demanded that he depart Washington. There is speculation the attack may have contributed to his early demise.
However, it was during his brief residency at the Music Box that folklorist
Alan LomaxAlan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the West Indies, Italy, and Spain.-Biography:Lomax was the son of pioneering...
first heard Morton playing piano in the bar. In May 1938, Lomax invited Morton to record music and interviews for the
Library of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress and is the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books. The head...
. The sessions, originally intended as a short interview with musical examples for use by music researchers in the Library of Congress, soon expanded to record more than eight hours of Morton talking and playing piano, in addition to longer interviews during which Lomax took notes but did not record. Despite the low fidelity of these non-commercial recordings, their musical and historical importance attracted jazz fans, and they have helped to ensure Morton's place in jazz history.
Lomax was very interested in Morton's Storyville days and some of the off-color songs played in Storyville. Morton was reluctant to recount and record these, but eventually obliged Lomax. Morton's "Jelly Roll"
nicknameA nickname is a descriptive name given in place of or in addition to the official name of a person, place or thing. It can also be the familiar or truncated form of the proper name, which may sometimes be used simply for convenience A nickname (also spelled "nick name") is a descriptive name...
is a sexual reference and many of his lyrics from his Storyville days were vulgar. Some of the Library of Congress recordings were unreleased until near the end of the 20th century due to their nature.
Morton was aware that if he had been born in 1890, he would have been slightly too young to make a good case for himself as the actual inventor of jazz, and so may have presented himself as being five years older than he actually was, and his statement that
Buddy BoldenCharles "Buddy" Bolden was an African American cornetist and is regarded by contemporaries as a key figure in the development of a New Orleans style of rag-time music which later came to be known as jazz.- Life :...
played
ragtimeRagtime is an originally American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918. Its main characteristic trait is its syncopated, or "ragged", rhythm. It began as dance music in the red-light districts of American cities such as St. Louis and New Orleans years before being...
but not jazz is not accepted by consensus of Bolden's other New Orleans contemporaries. It is possible, however, that the contradictions may stem from different definitions for the terms "ragtime" and "jazz". Most of the rest of Morton's reminiscences, however, have proven to be reliable.
These interviews, released in various forms over the years, were released on an eight-CD
boxed setA box set is a compilation of various musical recordings, films, television programs, or other collection of related things that are contained in a box.-Video box sets:...
in 2005,
The Complete Library of Congress Recordings. This collection won two
Grammy AwardThe Grammy Awards —or Grammys—are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry...
s. The same year, Morton was honored with the
Grammy Lifetime Achievement AwardThe Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording" ....
.
Later years
During the period when he was recording his interviews, Morton was seriously injured by knife wounds when a fight broke out at the
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
establishment where he was playing. A nearby
whites-onlyRacial segregation is the separation of different racial groups in daily life, such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a washroom, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home. Segregation may be mandated by law or exist through social...
hospital refused to treat him, and he had to be transported to a lower-quality hospital further away. When he was in the hospital the doctors left ice on his wounds for several hours before attending to his eventually fatal injury. His recovery from his wounds was incomplete, and thereafter he was often ill and easily became short of breath. Morton made a new series of commercial recordings in New York, several recounting tunes from his early years that he had been talking about in his Library of Congress Interviews.
A worsening
asthmaAsthma is a predisposition to chronic inflammation of the lungs in which the airways are reversibly narrowed. Asthma affects 7% of the population of the United States, and 300 million worldwide...
affliction sent him to a New York hospital for three months at one point and when visiting
Los AngelesLos Angeles is the largest city in the state of California and the second largest in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California...
with a series of manuscripts of new tunes and arrangements, planning to form a new band and restart his career, the ailment took its toll. Morton died on July 10, 1941, aged 51 or 56, after an eleven-day stay in
Los Angeles County General HospitalLos Angeles County-USC Medical Center is a 600-bed public teaching hospital located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, California....
.
Piano style
Morton's piano style was formed from early secondary ragtime and "shout," which also evolved separately into the New York school of stride piano. Morton's playing, however, was also close to
barrelhouseBarrelhouse can refer to:*A bar or saloon. Originates from the storage of barrels of alcohol.*An early form of jazz with wild, improvised piano, and an accented two-beat rhythm .*A style of piano-playing associated with the above....
, which produced boogie woogie.
Morton often played the melody of a tune with his right thumb, while sounding a harmony above these notes with other fingers of the right hand. This added a rustic or "out-of-tune" sound (due to the playing of a diminished 5th above the melody). This may still be recognized as belonging to New Orleans. Morton also walked in
majorA major sixth is the larger of two commonly occurring musical intervals that span six diatonic scale degrees. The prefix 'major' identifies it as being the larger of the two ; its smaller counterpart being a minor sixth. The major 6th is abbreviated as M6, and its inversion is the minor third...
and
minor sixthA minor sixth is the smaller of two commonly occurring musical intervals that span six diatonic scale degrees. The prefix 'minor' identifies it as being the smaller of the two ; its larger counterpart being a major sixth...
s in the bass, instead of tenths or octaves. He played basic swing rhythms in both the left and right hand.
Compositions
Some of Morton's songs (listed alphabetically):
- "Big Foot Ham" (a.k.a. "Ham & Eggs")
- "Black Bottom Stomp
"Black Bottom Stomp" is a jazz song. It was composed by Jelly Roll Morton in 1925 and was originally entitled "Queen of Spades". It was recorded in Chicago by Morton and His Red Hot Peppers on September 15, 1926.-Technique:...
"
- "Burnin' the Iceberg"
- "The Crave"
- "Creepy Feeling"
- "Doctor Jazz Stomp"
- "Fickle Fay Creep"
- "Finger Buster"
- "Freakish"
- "Frog-I-More Rag"
- "Ganjam"
- "Good Old New York"
- "Grandpa's Spells"
- "Jungle Blues"
- "Kansas City Stop"
- "London Blues"
- "Mama Nita"
- "Milenberg Joys"
- "Mint Julep"
- "My Home Is in a Southern Town"
- "New Orleans Bump"
- "Pacific Rag"
- "The Pearls"
- "Pep"
- "Pontchartrain"
- "Red Hot Pepper"
- "Shreveport Stomp"
- "Sidewalk Blues"
- "Stratford Hunch"
- "Sweet Substitute"
- "Tank Town Bump"
- "Turtle Twist"
- "Why?"
- "Wolverine Blues"
Several of Morton's compositions were musical tributes to himself, including "Winin' Boy", "The Jelly Roll Blues" subtitled "The Original Jelly-Roll," and "Mr. Jelly Lord". In the
Big BandA big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from the early 1930s until the late 1940s. Big bands evolved with the times and continue to today. A big band typically consists of approximately 12 to 25 musicians and...
era, his "King Porter Stomp" which Morton had written decades earlier, was a big hit for
Fletcher HendersonFletcher Hamilton Henderson, Jr. was an American pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer, important in the development of big band jazz and swing music. He was often known as "Smack" Henderson.-Biography:...
and
Benny GoodmanBenjamin David Goodman was an American jazz musician, clarinetist and bandleader, known as "King of Swing", "Patriarch of the Clarinet", "The Professor", and "Swing's Senior Statesman"....
, and became a standard covered by most other swing bands of that time. Morton also claimed to have written some tunes that were copyrighted by others, including "
Alabama Bound"I'm Alabama Bound" is a ragtime melody composed by Robert Hoffman in 1909. Hoffman "respectfully" dedicated it to one M. T. Scarlata. The cover of its first edition advertises the music as "Also Known As The Alabama Blues" which has led some to suspect it of being one of the first blues songs...
" and "
Tiger Rag"Tiger Rag" is a jazz standard, originally recorded by the Original Dixieland Jass Band in 1917.-Origins:The tune was first recorded on 17 August 1917 by the Original Dixieland Jass Band for Aeolian-Vocalion Records...
".
Legacy and fictional portrayals
Two
BroadwayBroadway Theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, is the theatre associated with the 40 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City...
shows have featured his music,
Jelly Roll and
Jelly's Last JamJelly's Last Jam is a musical with a book by George C. Wolfe, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jelly Roll Morton and Luther Henderson....
. The first draws heavily on Morton's own words and stories from the Library of Congress interviews.
Jelly Roll Morton appears as the piano 'professor' in Louis Malle's
Pretty Baby, where he is portrayed by actor
Antonio FargasAntonio Juan Fargas is an American actor made famous for his roles in 1970s blaxploitation movies.-Biography:Fargas, one of eleven children, was born in New York City to a Trinidadian mother, Mildred , and a Puerto Rican father, Manuel Fargas...
, with piano and vocals played by
James BookerJames Carroll Booker III was a jazz, New Orleans rhythm and blues and soul musician born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States.-Biography:...
.
Jelly Roll Morton is featured in
Alessandro BariccoAlessandro Baricco is a popular Italian writer, director and performer. His novels have been translated into a wide number of languages...
's book,
Novecento. He is the "inventor of jazz" and the protagonist's rival throughout the book. This book was later turned into a movie:
Giuseppe Tornatore-Biography:Born in Bagheria near Palermo, Tornatore developed an interest in acting and the theatre from at least the age of 16 and put on works by Luigi Pirandello and Eduardo De Filippo.He worked initially as a freelance photographer...
's
The Legend of 1900The Legend of 1900 is a 1998 film directed by the Italian filmmaker Giuseppe Tornatore, starring Tim Roth. This is Tornatore's first English-language film. The film is inspired by a theater monologue, Novecento, by Alessandro Baricco...
. His character is played by actor
Clarence Williams IIIClarence Williams III is an American actor.His first major acting role was as Lincoln Hayes on Aaron Spelling's TV series The Mod Squad...
. In this movie, he is depicted as an arrogant master in a piano competition against the film's main protagonist. He performed "Big Foot Ham", "The Crave", and "Finger Buster", in that order, against the protagonist.
Jelly Roll Morton is in the
Rock and Roll Hall of FameThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, dedicated to recording the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, and other people who have in some major way influenced the music...
and is a charter member of the
Gennett RecordsGennett was a United States based record label which flourished in the 1920s.-Label History:Gennett records was founded in Richmond, Indiana by the Starr Piano Company, and released its first records in October 1917. Earlier, the company had produced recordings under the Starr Records label...
Walk of Fame. In 2008, Jelly Roll Morton was posthomously inducted into The
Louisiana Music Hall of FameThe Louisiana Music Hall of Fame is an IRS certified 501 non-profit organization based in the state capital of Baton Rouge, La...
.
The play
Don't You Leave Me Here by Clare Brown, which premiered at
West Yorkshire PlayhouseThe West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, England is a theatre which opened in March 1990 as part of the regeneration of the Quarry Hill area of the city...
on 27 September 2008, deals with Morton's relationship with
Tony JacksonAnthony Jackson, best known as Tony Jackson was an American pianist, singer, and composer.Jackson was born to a poor African American family in Uptown New Orleans, Louisiana on June 5, 1876. He showed musical talents at a young age...
.
Morton and his godmother, Eulalie, appear as characters in
David FulmerDavid Fulmer is an American writer, journalist and filmmaker.-Biography:Born Thurston David Fulmer, to Thurston and Flora Fulmer in Northumberland, Pennsylvania. Fulmer worked as a reporter and photographer at The Union County Journal in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania after high school. He was drafted...
's mystery novel
Chasing
the Devil's Tail.
His influence continues to this day in the work of
Dick HymanDick Hyman is an American jazz pianist/keyboardist and composer best known for his versatility with jazz piano styles. Over a 50 year career he has functioned as pianist, organist, arranger, music director, and, increasingly, as composer...
,
Reginald RobinsonReginald R. Robinson, born October 19, 1972, is a noted composer and performer of ragtime music. In 2004, he received a MacArthur Genius Grant. He was raised by working class parents in Chicago, for many years living in the Henry Horner Homes, a South Side housing project...
and
Mark BirnbaumMark Birnbaum is an American pianist and New York City fashion plate, known for his ragtime recordings and his plumed top hat....
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Further reading
- Lomax, Alan. Mister Jelly Roll, U. of California Press, 1950, 1973, 2001. ISBN 0-520-22530-9
- For decades the only important book on Morton, contains a biography based on Morton's Library of Congress interviews interspersed with interviews with other contemporary musicians. The 2001 edition adds an afterword by Lawrence Gushee focussing largely on Morton's ancestry and other historical questions not fully explored by Lomax.
- Wright, Laurie. Mr. Jelly Lord, Storyville Publications, 1980.
- Mostly a detailed discography
Discography is the study and listing of the details concerning sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified musical genres. The exact information included varies depending on the type and scope of the discography, but a discography entry for a specific recording will often list...
, focusing on Morton's recordings.
- Russell, William
William "Bill" Russell was an American music historian and modernist composer....
. Oh Mister Jelly! A Jelly Roll Morton Scrapbook, Jazz Media ApS, Copenhagen, 1999.
- Jazz historian Russell spent over 40 years compiling this book, containing interviews with musicians, relatives, and others who knew and worked with Morton, in addition to Morton's own writings and letters. A compendium of source material, with no attempt to weave it into a single narrative.
- Pastras, Phil. Dead Man Blues: Jelly Roll Morton Way Out West, University of California Press, 2001.
- Focuses on Morton's previously largely neglected years in California and his relationship with Anita Gonzales.
- Reich, Howard; Gaines, William. Jelly's Blues: The Life, Music, and Redemption of Jelly Roll Morton, Da Capo Press, 2003.
- Well organized and articulate biography marred by numerous factual errors. Makes a strong case that Morton was correct when he claimed that he had been cheated out of over a million dollars due him in royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property right. Royalties are typically a percentage of gross or net sales derived from use of an asset or a fixed price per unit sold of an item...
for his compositions. A revisionist account of Morton's life based in part on newly acquired historical sources, this book provides insight into Morton's later years detailing the events surrounding his decline, his struggle for popular redemption and his death. Reich and Gaines are sympathetic to Morton's plight and attempt to update common notions of the arrogant, self-serving and single-minded performer with stories of an artist, optimist, and deeply complex man who, late in life, fell victim to racism and circumstance.
- Dapogny, James. Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton: The Collected Piano Music, Smithsonian Institution Press, 1982.
- A scholarly undertaking of a jazz musicians' work, this volume includes transcriptions of Morton's solo piano performances of 40 of his compositions (all of the original music he either performed or copyrighted on or for solo piano). The book also includes detailed analyses of each composition and essays on Morton's life, composition style, and solo piano style.
External links