"Jelly Roll" Morton

"Jelly Roll" Morton. , Panel 2 , Born into an Afro-French household as Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe, pianist, bandleader, songwriter, and arranger Jelly Roll Morton is widely recognized as the first great composer in the history of jazz. His early musical experiences in Storyville brothels earned him the nickname "Jelly Roll" and began a life of musical discovery that took him across the country, settling in Chicago in 1923. For the next seven years he recorded prolifically, with bands like the New Orleans Rhythm Kings, and his own studio ensemble, the Red Hot Peppers. For many critics, the recordings of Jelly Roll Morton and his Red Hot Peppers remain unsurpassed as an example of collectively-improvised New Orleans jazz. Jelly Roll moved from Chicago to New York in 1928, following the focus on the Big Apple as the center of show business, but soon after he was dropped by RCA Victor, and spent most of the Depression out of work. By 1938 he was living in Washington, DC, when he was brought to the attention of Alan Lomax, who was conducting interviews with musicians for the Library of Congress. Morton's interviews with Lomax coincided with a renewal of interest in New Orleans jazz, but a return to glory was not to be. A trip to Los Angeles in search of a fresh start in 1940 turned out to be his last. Kid Ory was a pallbearer at his funeral in 1941 and lamented the lack of a brass band to send Jelly Roll off in the style he deserved. Today his name is synonymous with the flowering of New Orleans style jazz in the 1920s. , Panel 3 , Jelly Roll Morton (center) with a group of fellow vaudville entertainers in 1917. The lady behind him is "bricktop" who later became a celebrated café owner in Paris. , RCA Victor record session. , Panel 4 , Jelly Roll Morton's studio ensemble, the Red Hot Peppers, which brought his compositions to life. Morton carefully selected soloists such as clarinetists Johnnt Dodds and Omer Simeon, guitarist Johnny St. Cyr, and cornetist George Mitchell, giving them free hand within the broad scope of his arrangements. Tunes such as "Black Bottom Stomp," "Dead Man Blues," "Georgia Swing," and "Jungle Blues" show a range of Morton's vision as a composer in their variety, ingenuity and polish.