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Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton (October 20, 1890 - July 10, 1941) was a virtuoso pianist, a bandleader, and the composer who some call for a 1st confessedly composer of Jazz music. Morton was the colorful character world health organization liked to generate publicity for himself by bragging. His business card referred to him when a "Creator of Jazz and Swing".

Birth
Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe was natural into the Creole community in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana on October 20, 1890. His parents were Edward J. Lamothe & Louise Monette (written when Lemott & Monett in his baptismal certificate). Eulaley Haco (Eulalie Hécaud) was a godparent. Ferdin&’s parents were around the most common-law marriage and non legally married. There is no birth certificate has been incurred up to now. He took a title "Morton" by Anglicizing a title of his step-father, Mutton.

New Orleans
He was (along by using Tony Jackson) one of the better regarded piano player in the Storyville District early in the 20th century. Among more occupations, he was besides at in one case the pimp.

Touring
Fallowing allowing Just released Orleans, Morton traveled widely around Northerly Us, spending many years within California before moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1923, where he freed a 1st of his commercial recordings, each as a soft soloist & by using various jazz group.

Victor Company
Around 1926 Morton succeeded in incurring the contract to produce recordings for the America's big & virtually all prestigious company, Victor. This gave him the risk to bring the swell rehearsed band to play his arrangements around Victor's Chicago recording studios. These recordings by Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers are regarded as classics of 1920s jazz. A Red Hot Peppers featured such more Up to date Orleans jazz notability when Kid Ory, Omer Simeon, Barney Bigard, Johnny Dodds, and Baby Dodds. Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers were one of the first acts booked on tours by MCA.

New York City
Morton moved to New York City in 1928, where he continued to record for Victor. His soft solos & trio recordings come swell regarded, however his band recordings suffer compared to by using a Chicago sides in which Mortin can draw on numerous dandy Future Orleans musicians for sidemen. Within Just released York, Morton got pain searching for musicians world health organization wanted to play his style of jazz. Sustaining a Great Depression and the close collapse of the phonograph record industry, Morton's recording contract was non renewed by Victor for 1931. Morton continued swimming less prosperously witharound Just released York, briefly experienced the radio indicate in 1934, then was reduced to touring in the band of the road parody work. He wound higher inside Washington D.C., where folklorist Alan Lomax first heard Morton playing solo piano in a dive in an African American neighborhood. (Morton was besides the master of ceremonies, manager, & barkeeper of the place he played.)

The Library of Congress Interviews
Around Will, 1938, Alan Lomax began recording interviews with Morton for the Library of Congress. A sessions, originally meant as a short locate by owning musical examples for apply by music research worker in the Library of Congress, shortly expanded to record additional than eight hours of Mortin talking & swimming piano, additionally to hanker interviews which Lomax took notes on however did does'nt record. Despite a moo fidelity one non-commercial recordings, their musical theater & historical importance attracted jazz fans, & portions use repeatedly been issued commercially. These interviews helped insure Morton's place inside jazz history.

Lomax was super interested around Morton's Storyville times & a few of the off-color songs played inside Storyville. Morton was reluctant to recount & record these, however sooner or later obliged Lomax. Morton's "Jelly Roll" nickname is a sexual information & numbers of of his lyrics from either his Storyville times were vulgar. Occasionally of a Library of Congress recordings were unreleased until touching the prevent of the 20th century due to their nature and severity.

Morton was caring that with been natural around 1890, he wwhen slightly too immature to produce a good experience for himself when a actual discoverer of jazz, then presented himself as 5 years older. a food & drug administration has shown that Morton laid a dates of a select few early incidents of his life (& probably the dates while he number one composed his early tunes) two or three years as well early, and his statement that Buddy Bolden played ragtime but not jazz is contradicted by other Future Orleans coeval. Virtually all of the rest of Morton's reminiscences, still, keep close at hand proved to become dependable.

Morton's Later Years
In a time period of the period whenever he was recording his interviews, Morton was seriously hurt by knife wounds whilst a fight broke out at the Washington, District of Columbia dive he was playing around. His recovery from either his wounds was uncomplete, & thenceforth he was typically sick & easy became short of breath. Morton processed the recently series of commercial recordings around Future York, many relation tunes from either his early years that he experienced been talking all about within his Library of Congress Interviews.

Death
He so moved to Los Angeles, California with the series of manuscripts of fresh tunes & arrangements, planning to form a newly b& and restart his career. Notwithstanding he took seriously sick shortly fallowing his arrival & died in July 10, 1941.

Morton's Legacy
Morton wrote 12 of songs, including "Wolverine Blues", "The Pearls", "Mama Nita", "Froggie More", "Black Bottom Stomp", "London Blues", "Sweet Substitute", "Creepy Feeling", "Good Old New York", "Sidewalk Blues", "Tank Town Bump", "Kansas City Stop", "Freakish", "Shake It", "Burnin' The Iceberg", "Ganjam", "Pacific Rag", "My Home Is In A Southern Town", "Turtle Twist", "Why?", "New Orleans Bump", "Fickle Fay Creep", "Stratford Hunch", "Shreveport Stomp", "Milneberg Joys", "Red Hot Pepper", "Jungle Blues", "Mint Julep", "Pontchartrain", "Pep", "Someday Sweetheart", "The Finger Buster", "The Crave", & "Grandpa's Spells". Many of his compositions were musical tributes to himself, including "Winin' Boy", "The Original Jelly-Roll Blues" & "Mister Jelly Lord". In the Big Band era, his "King Porter Stomp" which Morton had written decades earliest, was the large hit for Fletcher Henderson and Benny Goodman, and became the standard covered by virtually all more swing elastic of that instance. Morton likewise claimed to own written a bit of tunes that were copyrighted by others, including "Alabama Bound" & "Tiger Rag".

Legacy
Both Broadway shows have featured his music, Jelly Roll & ''Jelly's Survive Jam''. A number one draws heavy in Morton's have words & stories from either a Library of Congress interviews. A late indicate has created considerable disceptation using its super fictionalized & unsympathetic portrayal of Morton, & has been sued by Morton's personal.

Notes on birthday
His demise certificate for California lists his birthdate when "September 20, 1889" & lists his mother's maiden title when "Monette".

Monrovia Sound Studio: Ferd "Jelly Roll" Morton
Very thorough online biography of Jelly Roll Morton.

Redhotjazz.com: Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton
Almost all of Morton's recordings in Real Audio format.

Canehdian.com: Ferd Jelly Roll Morton
Biography with reviews, forum, recordings and other links.

Library of Congress: Jelly Roll Morton - The Frog-I-More Rag
Library of Congress article on Morton's 'Frog-I-More Rag'.

BluesTone: Jelly Roll Morton Rolls
A thorough review of Morton music rolls.

PBS: Jazz, a film by Ken Burns
Morton biography including NPR audio feature.

Infrogmation: Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton
Biography including picture of Morton's childhood home.

All that Jazz: Jelly Roll Morton
Biography.

Stamps on Black History: Jelly Roll Morton
Biography.

Jelly Roll Morton
Brief primer emphasising technical aspects of Morton's music.


Arts: Music: Instruments: Keyboard: Piano: Pianists: Jazz
Regional: North America: United States: Arts and Entertainment: Music





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