(1890–1941)
Jelly Roll Morton often proclaimed himself as the musician who invented jazz, and his contributions to jazz compositions, arrangements, recordings, and oral history lend some merit to his claims. He was born Ferdinand Lamothe on October 20, 1890 in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a child, he absorbed the rich musical atmosphere of the city by teaching himself to play the blues and ragtime on the piano. By the time he was fifteen, Morton was one of the best pianists in New Orleans. He soon began merging components of the various types of Black music he grew up listening to, and the resulting blend of styles created the foundation for the birth of jazz.
From 1909 to 1912, Morton played in vaudeville and minstrel shows, created bands, and performed solo while touring the country. Between 1923 and 1928, Morton lived in Chicago, and the city became his center of operations between gigs. He started working as an arranger with the Melrose Brothers Publishing Company and recording piano rolls for the QRS Company. Morton also formed his band the Red Hot Peppers and recorded a number of songs including “Black Bottom Stomp” and “Sidewalk Blues.” These tracks exemplify the New Orleans jazz style and well-rehearsed recording approach that Morton maintained throughout his career.
In 1928, he moved to New York to continue touring and recording while also playing in clubs, ballrooms, and theatrical productions. By 1936, Morton’s career was beginning to slow down and he traveled to D.C. to play in some local bars and clubs. Then his fortunes changed in 1938 when Alan Lomax, a musicologist who worked for Library of Congress, invited Morton to record his music and his story. The results not only provided important insight into Morton’s music, but also produced an invaluable oral history of jazz. Afterwards, Morton enjoyed a brief resurgence in his career from 1939 to 1940, but unfortunately had to retire due to illness. He died in Los Angeles, California on July 10, 1941, but his work solidified his status as a legendary jazz musician.
Elizabeth Durrant
Elizabeth Durrant recently received an M.A. in Musicology from the University of North Texas. She also earned a B.A. in English Literature (St. Mary’s College of Maryland) and a B.S. in Voice (Towson University)—as a result she is dedicated to exploring intersections between these disciplines. Her master’s thesis is titled “Chicago Renaissance Women: Black Feminism in the Careers and Songs of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds.” Elizabeth plans to pursue her PhD in musicology and continue exploring her interests in Black and female composers, twentieth-century neoromantic music, and American art song.
Sources
Schuller, Gunther. “Morton, Jelly Roll [Lamothe [La Menthe, Lemott], Ferdinand Joseph].”
Oxford Music Online. Last modified in 2001.
https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.19179.
Southern, Eileen. Biographical Dictionary of Afro-American and African Musicians. Westport,
Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 1982.
Wormser, Richard. “Morton, Jelly Roll” In Harlem Renaissance Lives from the African
American National Biography, edited by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Evelyn Brooks
Higginbotham, 362-364. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
