Jelly Roll Morton

Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton (September 20, 1885 or October 20, 1890?July 10, 1941) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader and composer who some call the first true composer of jazz music. Morton was a colorful character who liked to generate publicity for himself by bragging. His business card referred to him as the Originator of Jazz, and he was and is valued as a source of rare information about early jazz, despite his penchant for hyperbole. Washington, D.C.: The Library of Congress interviews In 1935, Morton moved to Washington, DC, to become manager and piano player at a dive called at various times the "Music Box", "Blue Moon Inn" and "Jungle Inn" in the African American neighborhood of Shaw. (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.[1] 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 Lomax first heard Morton playing piano in the bar. In May 1938, Lomax invited Morton to record music and interviews for the Library of Congress. 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 assure Morton's place in jazz history. Born Oct 20, 1890 in New Orleans, LA. Died Jul 10, 1941 in Los Angeles, CA.

One of the very first giants of jazz, Jelly Roll Morton did himself a lot of harm posthumously by exaggerating his worth, claiming to have invented jazz in 1902. Morton's accomplishments as an early innovator are so vast that he did not really need to stretch the truth. Morton was jazz's first great composer, writing such songs as "King Porter Stomp," "Grandpa's Spells," "Wolverine Blues," "The Pearls," "Mr. Jelly Roll," "Shreveport Stomp," "Milenburg Joys," "Black Bottom Stomp," "The Chant," "Original Jelly Roll Blues," "Doctor Jazz," "Wild Man Blues," "Winin' Boy Blues," "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say," "Don't You Leave Me Here," and "Sweet Substitute." He was a talented arranger (1926's "Black Bottom Stomp" is remarkable), getting the most out of the three-minute limitations of the 78 record by emphasizing changing instrumentation, concise solos and dynamics. He was a greatly underrated pianist who had his own individual style. Although he only took one vocal on records in the 1920s ("Doctor Jazz"), Morton in his late-'30s recordings proved to be an effective vocalist. And he was a true character. Jelly Roll Morton's pre-1923 activities are shrouded in legend. He started playing piano when he was ten, worked in the bordellos of Storyville while a teenager (for which some of his relatives disowned him) and by 1904 was traveling throughout the South. He spent time in other professions (as a gambler, pool player, vaudeville comedian and even a pimp) but always returned to music. The chances are good that in 1915 Morton had few competitors among pianists and he was an important transition figure between ragtime and early jazz. He played in Los Angeles from 1917-1922 and then moved to Chicago where, for the next six years, he was at his peak. Morton's 1923-24 recordings of piano solos introduced his style, repertoire and brilliance. Although his earliest band sides were quite primitive, his 1926-27 recordings for Victor with his Red Hot Peppers are among the most exciting of his career. With such sidemen as cornetist George Mitchell, Kid Ory or Gerald Reeves on trombone, clarinetists Omer Simeon,

Barney Bigard, Darnell Howard or Johnny Dodds, occasionally Stomp Evans on C-melody, Johnny St. Cyr or Bud Scott on banjo, bassist John Lindsay and either Andrew Hilaire or Baby Dodds on drums, Morton had the perfect ensembles for his ideas. He also recorded some exciting trios with Johnny and Baby Dodds. With the center of jazz shifting to New York by 1928, Morton relocated. His bragging ways unfortunately hurt his career and he was not able to always get the sidemen he wanted. His Victor recordings continued through 1930 and, although some of the performances are sloppy or erratic, there were also a few more classics. Among the musicians Morton was able to use on his New York records were trumpeters Ward Pinkett, Red Allen and Bubber Miley, trombonists Geechie Fields, Charles Irvis and J.C. Higginbotham, clarinetists Omer Simeon, Albert Nicholas and Barney Bigard, banjoist Lee Blair, guitarist Bernard Addison, Bill Benford on tuba, bassist Pops Foster and drummers Tommy Benford, Paul Barbarin and Zutty Singleton. But with the rise of the Depression, Jelly Roll Morton drifted into obscurity. He had made few friends in New York, his music was considered old-fashioned and he did not have the temperament to work as a sideman. During 1931-37 his only appearance on records was on a little-known Wingy Manone date. He ended up playing in a Washington D.C. dive for patrons who had little idea of his contributions. Ironically Morton's "King Porter Stomp" became one of the most popular songs of the swing era, but few knew that he wrote it. However in 1938 Alan Lomax recorded him in an extensive and fascinating series of musical interviews for the Library of Congress. Morton's storytelling was colorful and his piano playing in generally fine form as he reminisced about old New Orleans and demonstrated the other piano styles of the era. A decade later the results would finally be released on albums. Morton arrived in New York in 1939 determined to make a comeback. He did lead a few band sessions with such sidemen as Sidney Bechet, Red Allen and Albert Nicholas and recorded some wonderful solo sides but none of those were big sellers. In late 1940, an ailing Morton decided to head out to Los Angeles but, when he died at the age of 50, he seemed like an old man. Ironically his music soon became popular again as the New Orleans jazz revivalist movement caught fire and, if he had lived just a few more years, the chances are good that he would have been restored to his former prominence (as was Kid Ory). Jelly Roll Morton's early piano solos and classic Victor recordings (along with nearly every record he made) have been reissued on CD. There are two different ways to acquire pianist/composer Jelly Roll Morton's famed Library of Congress recordings. Classic Jazz and the Australian label Swaggie on eight LPs have reissued virtually all of Morton's monologues and music; Jazzology is currently working on making these important recordings available on CD. The alternative method is to acquire Rounder's four-CD series. Rounder has pitch corrected all of the music but unfortunately decided to leave out most of Morton's storytelling, lessening the impact of these unique sessions. Vol. 1 in the Classic Jazz series (all eight are recommended to true early jazz historians) finds Morton talking about his childhood, discussing the origin of his "Jelly Roll Blues," performing "King Porter Stomp" and "Panama" and, most interesting of all, doing his famous transformation of "Tiger Rag" from a quadrille into jazz.

Jelly Roll Morton Centennial: His Complete Victor Recordings

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 Black Bottom Stomp Smoke-House Blues The Chant [Take 1] The Chant [Take 3] Sidewalk Blues [Take 2] Sidewalk Blues [Take 3] Dead Man Blues [Take 1] Dead Man Blues [Take 2] Steamboat Stomp Someday, Sweetheart [Take 2] Someday, Sweetheart [Take 3] Grandpa's Spells [Take 2] Grandpa's Spells [Take 3] Original Jelly-Roll Blues [Take 1] Original Jelly-Roll Blues [Take 2] Doctor Jazz Cannon Ball Blues [Take 1] Cannon Ball Blues [Take 2] Hyena Stomp [Take 2] Hyena Stomp [Take 3] Billy Goat Stomp [Take 1] Billy Goat Stomp [Take 3] Wild Man Blues [Take 1] Wild Man Blues [Take 3] Jungle Blues [Take 2] Jungle Blues [Take 3] Beale Street Blues [Take 1] Beale Street Blues [Take 2] The Pearls [Take 2] The Pearls [Take 3] Wolverine Blues [Take 1] Wolverine Blues [Take 2] Mr. Jelly Lord Georgia Swing Kansas City Stomp Shoe Shiner's Drag Boogaboo Shreveport Stomp [Take 1] Shreveport Stomp [Take 2] Mournful Serenade Red Hot Pepper Deep Creek Blues Pep Seattle Hunch [Take 1] Seattle Hunch [Take 2] Frances (Fat Frances) Freakish [Take 1] Morton Luke Stitzel Stitzel Melrose, Morton Melrose, Morton Morton Morton Morton, Senter Spikes, Spikes Spikes, Spikes Morton Morton Morton Morton King Oliver, Melrose Bloom, Morton, Rider Bloom, Morton, Rider Morton Morton Morton Morton Armstrong, Morton Armstrong, Morton Morton Morton Handy Handy Morton Morton Morton, Spikes, Spikes Morton, Spikes, Spikes Melrose, Morton Morton, Pecora Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Oliver Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton 3:12 3:27 3:12 3:11 3:32 3:29 3:13 3:23 3:08 3:29 3:29 2:54 2:54 3:01 3:03 3:24 2:52 3:33 3:12 3:12 3:32 3:27 3:08 3:13 3:26 3:30 3:14 3:09 3:22 3:25 3:18 3:23 2:51 2:28 2:53 3:20 3:17 3:15 3:14 3:26 3:08 3:31 2:57 3:12 3:07 3:05 2:52

48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97

Freakish [Take 2] Burnin' the Iceberg [Take 1] Burnin' the Iceberg [Take 2] Courthouse Bump [Take 1] Courthouse Bump [Take 2] Pretty Lil [Take 1] Pretty Lil [Take 2] Sweet Anita Mine [Take 1] Sweet Anita Mine [Take 2] New Orleans Bump [Take 1] New Orleans Bump [Take 2] Down My Way Try Me Out Tank Town Bump [Take 1] Tank Town Bump [Take 2] Sweet Peter [Take 1] Sweet Peter [Take 2] Jersey Joe [Take 1] Jersey Joe [Take 2] Mississippi Mildred [Take 1] Mississippi Mildred [Take 2] Mint Julep Smilin' the Blues Away Turtle Twist My Little Dixie Home That's Like It Ought to Be Each Day [Take 1] Each Day [Take 2] If Someone Would Only Love Me That'll Never Do I'm Looking for a Little Bluebird Little Lawrence Harmony Blues Fussy Mabel Ponchartrain Oil Well [Take 1] Oil Well [Take 2] Load of Coal [Take 1] Load of Coal [Take 2] Crazy Chords [Take 1] Crazy Chords [Take 2] Primrose Stomp [Take 1] Primrose Stomp [Take 2] Low Gravy Strokin' Away [Take 1] Strokin' Away [Take 2] Blue Blood Blues [Take 1] Blue Blood Blues [Take 2] Mushmouth Shuffle Gambling Jack [Take 1] Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton

Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton, Smith Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton Morton 2:54 3:03 3:39 2:55 2:51 2:56 3:29 3:16 2:56 2:40 3:04 2:58 2:58 3:03 2:55 3:02 3:03 2:44 2:54 2:57 3:02 3:02 2:42 2:51

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SteamboatStomp2:

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Gambling Jack [Take 2] Fickle Fay Creep Oh, Didn't He Ramble? [Take 1] Oh, Didn't He Ramble? [Take 2] High Society I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say Winin' Boy Blues [Take 1] Winin' Boy Blues [Take 2] Climax Rag [Take 1] Climax Rag [Take 2] Don't You Leave Me Here [Take 1] Don't You Leave Me Here [Take 2] West End Blues Ballin' the Jack

Morton Morton Handy Handy Piron, Williams Morton Morton Morton Scott Scott Morton Morton King Oliver, Williams Burris, Smith

2:45 3:13 3:10 3:03 2:47 3:12 3:10 3:07 2:27 2:25 2:23 2:36 2:50 2:14