Jelly Roll Morton Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe (October 20, 1890 – July and were not legally married. No birth certificate has 10, 1941),[1] known professionally as Jelly Roll Mor- been found to date. ton, was an American ragtime and early jazz pianist, ban- Ferdinand started playing music as a child, showing early dleader and composer who started his career in New Or- talent. After his parents separated, his mother married leans, Louisiana. a man named Mouton. Ferdinand took his stepfather’s Widely recognized as a pivotal figure in early jazz, Mor- name and anglicized it as “Morton”. ton is perhaps most notable as jazz’s first arranger, prov- ing that a genre rooted in improvisation could retain its essential spirit and characteristics when notated.[2] His 1.2 Musical career composition "Jelly Roll Blues" was the first published jazz composition, in 1915. Morton is also notable for naming and popularizing the "Spanish Tinge"(habanera rhythm and tresillo), and for writing such standards as "King Porter Stomp", "Wolverine Blues", "Black Bottom Stomp", and “I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say”, the last a tribute to New Orleans musicians from the turn of the 19th century to 20th century. Reputed for his arrogance and self-promotion as often as recognized in his day for his musical talents, Mor- ton claimed to have invented jazz outright in 1902 — much to the derision of later musicians and critics.[3] The jazz historian, musician, and composer Gunther Schuller says of Morton’s “hyperbolic assertions” that there is “no proof to the contrary” and that Morton’s “consider- able accomplishments in themselves provide reasonable substantiation”.[4] However, the scholar Katy Martin has argued that Morton’s bragging was exaggerated by Alan Lomax in the book Mister Jelly Roll, and this portrayal has influenced public opinion and scholarship on Morton since.[5] 1 Biography 1.1 Early life and education Morton claimed to have written “Jelly Roll Blues” in 1905. Morton was born into a creole of color family in the At the age of fourteen, Morton began working as a piano Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of downtown New Or- player in a brothel (or, as it was referred to then, a sporting leans, Louisiana. Sources differ as to his birth date: a house). In that atmosphere, he often sang smutty lyrics; baptismal certificate issued in 1894 lists his date of birth he took the nickname “Jelly Roll”, which was African as October 20, 1890; Morton and his half-sisters claimed American slang for female genitalia.[6][7] While working he was born on September 20, 1885. His World War I there, he was living with his religious, church-going great- draft registration card showed September 13, 1884, but grandmother; he had her convinced that he worked as a his California death certificate listed his birth as Septem- night watchman in a barrel factory. ber 20, 1889. He was born to F. P. Lamothe and Louise Monette (written as Lemott and Monett on his baptismal After Morton’s grandmother found out that he was play- ing jazz in a local brothel, she kicked him out of her certificate). Eulaley Haco (Eulalie Hécaud) was the god- [8] parent. Hécaud helped choose his christening name of house. Ferdinand. His parents lived in a common-law marriage He said: 1 2 2 MARRIAGE AND FAMILY When my grandmother found out that I was as piano rolls, then on record, both as a piano soloist and playing jazz in one of the sporting houses in with various jazz bands.[12] the District, she told me that I had disgraced In 1926, Morton succeeded in getting a contract to record the family and forbade me to live at the house... for the largest and most prestigious company in the She told me that devil music would surely bring United States, Victor. This gave him a chance to bring a about my downfall, but I just couldn't put it be- [8] well-rehearsed band to play his arrangements in Victor’s hind me. Chicago recording studios. These recordings by Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers are regarded as classics of Cornetist Rex Stewart recalled that Morton had cho- 1920s jazz. The Red Hot Peppers featured such other sen “the nom de plume 'Morton' to protect his fam- New Orleans jazz luminaries as Kid Ory, Omer Simeon, ily from disgrace if he was identified as a whorehouse George Mitchell, Johnny St. Cyr, Barney Bigard, Johnny 'professor'.”[6] Dodds, Baby Dodds, and Andrew Hilaire. Jelly Roll Mor- ton & His Red Hot Peppers were one of the first acts Tony Jackson, also a pianist at brothels and an accom- booked on tours by MCA.[13] plished guitar player, was a major influence on Morton’s music. Jelly Roll said that Jackson was the only pianist better than he was. 2 Marriage and family 1.3 Touring In November 1928, Morton married the showgirl Mabel Bertrand in Gary, Indiana. Around 1904, Morton also started touring in the Ameri- can South, working with minstrel shows, gambling and composing. His works "Jelly Roll Blues", “New Or- 2.1 New York City leans Blues”, “Frog-I-More Rag”, “Animule Dance”, and "King Porter Stomp" were composed during this period. They moved that year to New York City, where Morton He got to Chicago in 1910 and New York City in 1911, continued to record for Victor. His piano solos and trio where future stride greats James P. Johnson and Willie recordings are well regarded, but his band recordings suf- “The Lion” Smith caught his act, years before the blues fer in comparison with the Chicago sides, where Mor- [9] were widely played in the North. ton could draw on many great New Orleans musicians for [14] In 1912–1914, Morton toured with his girlfriend Rosa sidemen. Although he recorded with the noted musi- Brown as a vaudeville act before settling in Chicago for cians clarinetists Omer Simeon, George Baquet, Albert three years. By 1914, he had started writing down his Nicholas, Wilton Crawley, Barney Bigard, Russell Pro- compositions. In 1915, his “Jelly Roll Blues” was ar- cope, Lorenzo Tio and Artie Shaw, trumpeters Bubber guably the first jazz composition ever published, record- Miley, Johnny Dunn and Henry “Red” Allen, saxophon- ing as sheet music the New Orleans traditions that had ists Sidney Bechet, Paul Barnes and Bud Freeman, bassist been jealously guarded by the musicians. In 1917, he Pops Foster, and drummers Paul Barbarin, Cozy Cole followed bandleader William Manuel Johnson and John- and Zutty Singleton, Morton generally had trouble find- son’s sister Anita Gonzalez to California, where Morton’s ing musicians who wanted to play his style of jazz. His [15] tango, “The Crave”, made a sensation in Hollywood.[10] New York sessions failed to produce a hit. With the Great Depression and the near collapse of the record industry, Victor did not renew Morton’s record- 1.4 Vancouver ing contract for 1931. Morton continued playing in New York, but struggled financially. He briefly had a radio Morton was invited to play a new Vancouver, British show in 1934, then took on touring in the band of a trav- Columbia, nightclub called The Patricia, on East Hast- eling burlesque act for some steady income. In 1935, ings Street. The jazz historian Mark Miller described Morton’s 30-year-old composition King Porter Stomp, as his arrival as “an extended period of itinerancy as a pi- arranged by Fletcher Henderson, became Benny Good- anist, vaudeville performer, gambler, hustler, and, as leg- man's first hit and a swing standard, but Morton received end would have it, pimp”.[11] no royalties from its recordings.[16] 1.5 Chicago 2.2 Washington, D.C. Morton returned to Chicago in 1923 to claim authorship In 1935, Morton moved to Washington, D.C., to be- of his recently published rag, “The Wolverines”, which come the manager/piano player of a bar called, at vari- had become a hit as “Wolverine Blues” in the Windy City. ous times, the “Music Box”, “Blue Moon Inn”, and “Jun- He released the first of his commercial recordings, first gle Inn” in the African-American neighborhood of Shaw. 3 (The building that hosted the nightclub stands at 1211 U Worsening asthma sent him to a New York hospital for Street NW.) Morton was also the master of ceremonies, three months at one point. He continued to suffer from bouncer, and bartender of the club. He lived in Washing- respiratory problems when visiting Los Angeles with a se- ton for a few years; the club owner allowed all her friends ries of manuscripts of new tunes and arrangements, plan- free admission and drinks, which prevented Morton from ning to form a new band and restart his career. Morton making the business a success.[17] died on July 10, 1941, after an eleven-day stay in Los In 1938, Morton was stabbed by a friend of the owner and Angeles County General Hospital. suffered wounds to the head and chest. After this incident, According to the jazz historian David Gelly in 2000, his wife Mabel demanded that they leave Washington.[17] Morton’s arrogance and “bumptious” persona alienated so many musicians over the years that no colleagues or During Morton’s brief residency at the Music Box, the [19] folklorist Alan Lomax heard the pianist playing in the admirers attended his funeral. But, a contemporary bar. In May 1938, Lomax invited Morton to record mu- news account of the funeral in the August 1, 1941, issue sic and interviews for the Library of Congress. The ses- of Downbeat says that fellow musicians Kid Ory, Mutt sions, originally intended as a short interview with mu- Carey, Fred Washington and Ed Garland were among his sical examples for use by music researchers in the Li- pall bearers.