Jelly Roll Morton And His Orchestra

Biography

Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was born around September 20, 1890, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to parents of Louisiana Creole descent. Self-taught on piano, he began performing professionally at age 12 or 14 in the Storyville district's brothels, mastering ragtime and early jazz styles. By 1904, Morton toured the U.S. South with minstrel shows like Will Benbow's Chocolate Drops, working as a gambler, composer, and vaudeville performer alongside his girlfriend Rosa Brown from 1912-1914. He composed early works such as 'Jelly Roll Blues' (published 1915), 'King Porter Stomp,' and 'Frog-I-More Rag,' establishing himself as jazz's first significant arranger who notated improvisational elements[1][2][3][4].

In 1923, Morton settled in Chicago, launching his recording career with piano solos and band sessions, including his debut commercial releases. From 1926 to 1930, leading Morton's Red Hot Peppers, he produced acclaimed recordings like 'Black Bottom Stomp,' 'Shoe Shiner’s Drag,' and 'Dead Man Blues,' blending structured arrangements with improvisation in a shift from Dixieland to orchestral jazz. His career peaked in New York by 1928, but declined in the early 1930s amid rising stars like Louis Armstrong. In 1938, Alan Lomax recorded Morton's Library of Congress sessions, preserving his demonstrations of jazz evolution from ragtime[1][3][4].

Morton died on July 10, 1941, in Los Angeles, California, after years of declining health and obscurity. His legacy endures as a pioneering composer whose works, like 'King Porter Stomp,' became swing-era standards for Fletcher Henderson and Benny Goodman, influencing the transition from ragtime to modern jazz despite his exaggerated claim of inventing the genre[1][3][5].

Fun Facts

• Morton claimed to have invented jazz in 1902 and published the first jazz tune 'Jelly Roll Blues' in 1915, though historians credit earlier collective developments in New Orleans[1][2][3].
• He worked diverse side jobs including pimp, gambler, pool hustler, boxer promoter, tailor, and hotel manager while touring as a pianist[1][4].
• In 1938 Library of Congress sessions with Alan Lomax, Morton demonstrated jazz evolution by contrasting straight 'Maple Leaf Rag' with his improvised version and claimed to have composed 'Tiger Rag'[1][4].
• Several compositions were tributes to himself, like 'Winin' Boy,' 'Mr. Jelly Lord,' and 'The Jelly Roll Blues (The Original Jelly-Roll)'[1].

Members

• Barney Alexander - banjo
• George Baquet
• Barney Bigard
• Arville Harris
• Charlie Irvis
• William Laws - drums (drum set)
• Jelly Roll Morton - original, piano
• Buddie Petit - cornet
• Harry Prather - double bass
• Jasper Taylor
• Wilson Townes

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• None identified - Self-taught pianist with no specific teachers documented (N/A) [Childhood, c. 1902]

Key Collaborators

• Morton's Red Hot Peppers - His primary recording band featuring top New Orleans musicians ('Black Bottom Stomp,' 'King Porter Stomp,' 'Dead Man Blues') [1926-1930]
• Omer Simeon - Clarinetist in New York sessions ('Georgia Swing,' 'Kansas City Stomps') [1928]
• Geechie Fields - Trumpeter in early New York recordings ('Georgia Swing,' 'Mournful Serenade') [1928]
• Henry 'Red' Allen - Trumpeter in late-career sessions (1940 recordings including new material) [1940]

Artists Influenced

• Fletcher Henderson - Adapted Morton's compositions for big band swing ('King Porter Stomp') [1930s]
• Benny Goodman - Performed Morton's standard as a swing hit ('King Porter Stomp') [1930s]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #jazz