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Jelly Roll Morton
Morton c. 1917
Morton c. 1917
Background information
Birth name Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe (possibly LaMotte or La Menthe)
Also known as Jelly Roll Morton
Born ca. September 20, 1885 or, 1890
Origin New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Died July 10, 1941
Genre(s) Rag-time
Dixieland
Jazz
Blues
Swing
Occupation(s) Vaudeville comedian
bandleader
Composer
Arranger
Instrument(s) Piano
Years active ca. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Ragtime (alternately spelled Rag-time) is an American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918 Dixieland or Dixie is a name for the southeastern portion of the USA; see Southern United States, Dixie. Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Swing music, also known as swing jazz, is a form of Jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and had solidified as a distinctive style by 1935 in the United Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s A 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 In Music, an arrangement refers either to a rewriting of a piece of existing Music with additional new material or to a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch such A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The piano is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard that produces sound by striking steel strings with Felt covered hammers 1900 to 1941
Associated acts Red Hot Peppers
New Orleans Rhythm Kings

Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton (September 20, 1885 or October 20, 1890 – July 10, 1941) was an American jazz pianist, bandleader and composer whom some call the first true composer of jazz music. Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Red Hot Peppers were a Jazz band from the 1920s starring Jelly Roll Morton. The New Orleans Rhythm Kings (nicknamed NORK) were one of the most influential Jazz bands of the early-to-mid 1920s Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France. Year 1885 ( MDCCCLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States A pianist (/'piənɪst/ is a Musician who plays the Piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces play with an ensemble or Orchestra A 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 composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States 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 during his life he was regarded as a source of rare historical information, despite his penchant for hyperbole. Hyperbole (haɪˈpɝːbəli hye-PER-buh-lee; "HYE-per-bowl" is a mispronunciation comes from Greek "υπερβολή" (meaning exaggeration and is a

Contents

Birth

Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe was born into a Creole community in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana 1890. This article is about an ethnic culture in Louisiana USA For uses of the term "Creole" in other countries and cultures see Creole (disambiguation. The Marigny (often referred to as Faubourg Marigny) is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. In New Orleans, Louisiana, " downtown " refers to areas along the Mississippi River down-river (roughly east from Canal Street, including New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana 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. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common His World War 1 draft registration card shows September 13, 1884. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All 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 marriage and not legally married. Common-law marriage (or Common law marriage) sometimes called de facto marriage, informal marriage or marriage by habit and repute No birth certificate has been found to date. He took the name "Morton" by Anglicizing the name of his stepfather, Mouton.

New Orleans

Morton claimed to have written "Jelly Roll Blues" in 1905.
Morton claimed to have written "Jelly Roll Blues" in 1905.

He was, along with Tony Jackson, one of the best regarded pianists in the Storyville District early in the 20th century. This article is about the United States composer For the UK bass guitarist see Tony Jackson (bass player. This article is about the New Orleans district For other things named "Storyville" see Storyville (disambiguation. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on 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. For the 2008 film of this name see The Brothel. For the television series of this name see Cathouse The Series. ) 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 and told him that the devil music would surely bring about his downfall. "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. "[1]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

Morton (2nd from right) with Bricktop (right)in Los Angeles in 1918
Morton (2nd from right) with Bricktop (right)in Los Angeles in 1918

Around 1904, Morton started wandering the American South, working with minstrel shows, gambling and composing. Ada Beatrice Queen Victoria Louise Virginia Smith, better known as Bricktop ( August 14 1894 &ndash February 1 1984) was an American The minstrel show, or minstrelsy, was an American entertainment consisting of comic skits variety acts dancing, and Music, His works "Jelly Roll Blues," "New Orleans Blues," "Frog-I-More Rag," "Animule Dance" and "King Porter Stomp" were composed during this period. King Porter Stomp is a tune by Jelly Roll Morton. Morton himself first recorded the number in 1923 as a piano solo He got to Chicago in 1910 and New York City in 1911, where future stride greats James P. Johnson and Willie "The Lion" Smith caught his act, years before the blues were widely played in the North. James Price Johnson ( February 1 1894 &ndash November 17 1955) was an African-American Pianist and Composer. William Henry Joseph Bonaparte Bertholoff Smith ( 23 November, 1893 &ndash 18 April, 1973) aka "The Lion", was an In 1912-1914 he toured with girlfriend Rosa Brown as a vaudeville act before settling in Chicago for three years. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s 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 Bill Johnson and Johnson's sister Anita Gonzalez to California, where Morton's tango "The Crave" made a sensation amongst the early Hollywood set. William Manuel "Bill" Johnson ( August 10, 1872 &ndash December 3, 1972) was an American Jazz Musician Tango is a style of music that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay.

Chicago

Morton moved back to Chicago in 1923 to claim authorship of his recently-published rag "The Wolverines" which had become a hit as "Wolverine Blues" in the Windy City. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. Year 1923 ( MCMXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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, Victor. Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Victrola redirects here For other uses see Victrola (disambiguation The Victor Talking Machine Company ( 1901 – 1929 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 1920s is sometimes referred to as the " Jazz Age " or the " Roaring Twenties " when speaking about the United States and Canada The Red Hot Peppers featured such other New Orleans jazz luminaries as Kid Ory, Omer Simeon, George Mitchell, Johnny St. Cyr, Barney Bigard, Johnny Dodds, and Baby Dodds. Edward "Kid" Ory ( December 25, 1886 &ndash January 23, 1973) was a Jazz trombonist and Bandleader Omer Victor Simeon ( 21 July, 1902 - 17 September, 1959) was an American Jazz Clarinetist He also played soprano George Mitchell (b March 8 1899, Louisville Kentucky, dMay 1972 Chicago) was a Cornet player active in the 1920s Johnny St Cyr (b April 17, 1890 in New Orleans Louisiana, d June 17, 1966 in Los Angeles California) was an American Albany Leon Bigard ( March 3, 1906 &ndash June 27, 1980) aka Barney Bigard, was an American Jazz Clarinetist Johnny Dodds ( April 12 1892 &ndash August 8 1940) was a New Orleans based Jazz Clarinetist and Alto saxophonist Warren "Baby" Dodds ( December 24, 1898 &ndash February 14, 1959) was a Jazz Drummer born in New Orleans Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers were one of the first acts booked on tours by MCA. MCA Inc (or Music Corporation of America) was an American Corporation in the music and television businesses

New York City

In November 1928 Morton married showgirl Mabel Bertrand in Gary, Indiana and moved to New York City, where he continued to record for Victor. Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The City of New York 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 Simeon, George Baquet, Albert Nicholas, Wilton Crawley, Barney Bigard, Lorenzo Tio and Artie Shaw, trumpeters Bubber Miley, Johnny Dunn and Henry "Red" Allen, saxophonists Sidney Bechet, Paul Barnes and Bud Freeman, bassist Pops Foster, and drummers Paul Barbarin, Cozy Cole and Zutty Singleton, Morton generally had trouble finding musicians who wanted to play his style of jazz, and his New York sessions failed to produce a hit. Omer Victor Simeon ( 21 July, 1902 - 17 September, 1959) was an American Jazz Clarinetist He also played soprano George Baquet (b 1882/1883 - d Jan 14 1949 was an American Jazz Clarinetist known for his contributions to early jazz in New Orleans. Albert Nicholas (May 27 1900 New Orleans, Louisiana - September 3 1973 Basel, Switzerland) was an American Jazz reed player Albany Leon Bigard ( March 3, 1906 &ndash June 27, 1980) aka Barney Bigard, was an American Jazz Clarinetist Lorenzo Tio Jr (1893-1933 was a master Clarinetist from New Orleans, as were his father Lorenzo Tio Sr Arthur Jacob Arshawsky ( May 23, 1910 &ndash December 30, 2004) better known as Artie Shaw, was an American Jazz James Wesley "Bubber" Miley ( April 3, 1903 &ndash May 20, 1932) was an early Jazz Trumpeter and Cornet Johnny Dunn ( 19 February, 1897 &ndash 20 August, 1937) was an American Traditional jazz Trumpeter and Henry "Red" Allen ( January 7, 1906 or 1908 (see talk &ndash April 17, 1967) was a Jazz Trumpeter whose style Sidney Bechet ( May 14, 1897 &ndash May 14, 1959) was an American Jazz saxophonist, Clarinetist and Composer Paul Barnes may refer to Paul Barnes (designer (born 1970 a prominent figure of modern UK graphic design Paul Barnes (musician (1901&ndash1981 Lawrence "Bud" Freeman ( April 13, 1906 in Chicago Illinois - March 15, 1991 in Chicago was a U George Murphy "Pops" Foster ( May 19, 1892 - October 29, 1969) was a Jazz Musician best known for his vigorous Adolphe Paul Barbarin ( May 5, 1899 – Feb 17, 1969) was a New Orleans jazz drummer, usually regarded (along with Cozy Cole ( October 17 1909 – January 31 1981) was a jazz drummer who scored a #1 hit with the record Arthur James "Zutty" Singleton ( 14 May, 1898 - 14 July, 1975) was an influential American early Jazz Drummer With the Great Depression 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 Henderson, Benny Goodman and others, though he received no royalties from these recordings. Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr ( December 18, 1897 &ndash December 28, 1952) was an American pianist bandleader Arranger

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. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D dive bar, or simply a dive, is a Downmarket drinking establishment serving a Working class (or poorer clientele African Americans or Black Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have origins in any of the black populations of Africa Shaw is a neighborhood in Northwest, Washington DC It is roughly bounded by N Street NW to the south New Jersey Avenue NW to the east Florida (The building that hosted the nightclub still stands, at 1211 U Street NW. The U Street Corridor is a collection of shops restaurants nightclubs galleries and residences along a nine-block stretch of U Street in northwest Washington D ) 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.

 

"Tiger Rag"

Sample of Morton's introduction and performance of the piece, with its innovative moving tone cluster evoking a tiger's growl
Problems listening to the file? See media help. A tone cluster is a musical chord comprising at least three consecutive tones in a scale.

However, it was during his brief residency at the Music Box that folklorist Alan Lomax first heard Morton playing piano in the bar. Alan Lomax ( January 15, 1915 &ndash July 19, 2002) was an American folklorist and musicologist. In May 1938, Lomax invited Morton to record music and interviews for the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States 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.

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" nickname is a sexual reference and many of his lyrics from his Storyville days were vulgar. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. 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 Bolden played ragtime but not jazz is not accepted by consensus of Bolden's other New Orleans contemporaries. Charles "Buddy" Bolden ( September 6, 1877 &ndash November 4, 1931) was an African American Cornetist and is regarded Ragtime (alternately spelled Rag-time) is an American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1897 and 1918 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 set in 2005, The Complete Library of Congress Recordings. A box set (sometimes referred to as a boxed set) is a compilation of various musical recordings Films Television programs or other collection Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Complete Library of Congress Recordings is a 2005 Box set of recordings from Jazz pioneer Jelly Roll Morton. This collection won two Grammy Awards. The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The same year, Morton was honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding

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. establishment where he was playing. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D There was a whites only hospital close enough to heal him but he had to be transported to a further and poorer hospital because of his skin color. 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.

Death

A worsening asthma affliction sent him to a New York hospital for three months at one point and when visiting Los Angeles 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. Los Angeles (lɑˈsændʒələs los ˈaŋxeles in Spanish) is the largest City in the state of California and the American West Morton died on July 10, 1941, aged 51 or 56, after an eleven-day stay in Los Angeles County General Hospital. Events 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Julius Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia. Year 1941 ( MCMXLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (the link will display 1941 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center (also known as County General) is an 800-bed Teaching hospital located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of

Compositions

Morton wrote dozens of songs, including "Wolverine Blues", "The Pearls", "Mama Nita", "Frog-I-More Rag", "Black Bottom Stomp", "London Blues", "Sweet Substitute", "Creepy Feeling", "Good Old New York", "Sidewalk Blues", "Tank Town Bump", "Kansas City Stop", "Freakish", "Doctor Jazz Stomp", "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", "Milenberg Joys", "Red Hot Pepper", "Jungle Blues", "Mint Julep", "Pontchartrain", "Pep", "Someday Sweetheart", "Finger Buster", "The Crave", "Grandpa's Spells", and "Big Foot Ham" (also known as "Ham & Eggs").

Several of Morton's compositions were musical tributes to himself, including "Winin' Boy", "The Original Jelly-Roll Blues" and "Mr. Jelly Lord". In the Big Band era, his "King Porter Stomp" which Morton had written decades earlier, was a big hit for Fletcher Henderson and Benny Goodman, and became a standard covered by most other swing bands of that time. A 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 Fletcher Hamilton Henderson Jr ( December 18, 1897 &ndash December 28, 1952) was an American pianist bandleader Arranger Morton also claimed to have written some tunes that were copyrighted by others, including "Alabama Bound" and "Tiger Rag". "I'm Alabama Bound" is a Ragtime melody composed by Robert Hoffman in 1909

Legacy and fictional portrayals

Two Broadway shows have featured his music, Jelly Roll and Jelly's Last Jam. Broadway theater, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located Jelly's Last Jam is a musical with a book by George C Wolfe, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jelly Roll Morton and The first draws heavily on Morton's own words and stories from the Library of Congress interviews.

Jelly Roll Morton is featured in Alessandro Baricco's book, Novecento. Alessandro Baricco (born January 25, 1958, in Turin) is a popular Italian writer director and performer He is the "inventor of jazz" and the protagonist's rival throughout the book. This book was later turned into a movie: Giuseppe Tornatore's The Legend of 1900. Giuseppe Tornatore (born 27 May 1956) is an Italian Film director. The Legend of 1900 ( Italian: La leggenda del pianista sull'oceano) is a 1998 film featuring Tim Roth and directed by the Italian His character is played by actor Clarence Williams III. Clarence Williams III (born August 21, 1939) is an American actor In this movie, he is depicted as an ill-tempered and insolent prodigy 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 Fame and is a charter member of the Gennett Records Walk of Fame. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States Gennett (pronounced with a soft G) was a United States based Record label which flourished in the 1920s.

Notes on birthday

His death certificate for California lists his birthdate as "September 20, 1889" and lists his mother's maiden name as "Monette". Year 1889 ( MDCCCLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

References

  1. ^ Culture Shock: The TV Series and Beyond: The Devil's Music: 1920's Jazz

[1] http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/beyond/jazz.html

Further reading

External links

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