Jelly Roll Morton |
Jelly Roll Morton at the piano, with his band, the Red Hot Peppers. He was a talented pianist, arranger and composer, whose efforts strongly influenced the development of jazz. From left to Right: Andrew Hilaire, Kid Ory, George Mitchell, John Lindsay, Morton, Johnny St. Cyr and Omer Simeon. |
According to his Baptismal Certificate from St. Joseph's Church, New Orleans, Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe was born on October 20, 1890 and baptized on 25th April, 1891. It's thought that the name Morton comes from his step-father, whose name was Mouton. The photo above was taken in about 1940. |
Jelly Roll's childhood home on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans' Seventh Ward. |
Jelly Roll Morton left New Orleans early on and traveled the country, with stays in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. He gained prominence in the 1920's and was enormously successful. But, his success faded with the changes that came about in jazz in the 1930's and he fell on hard times. Sadly, he didn't live long enough to experience the resurgence of traditional jazz in the 1940's. His health declined after a heart attack in 1939 and he died in Los Angeles, in 1941. |
Above, Jelly Roll's last recording session with RCA Victor, before a decline in popularity. It would be many years before Jelly Roll's contributions were re-evaluated, however, he did find an appreciative audience in Alan Lomax, the Library of Congress' folk archivist. Lomax recorded over eight hours of Morton's music and reminiscences in 1938. They were first made public in 1948 and are still available. In the early 1980's, Mr. Morton's complete works were published and he was the subject of a Broadway musical, "Jelly's Last Jam," in the early 1990's. |
The plaque on Jelly Roll Morton's grave, Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA. Photo credit to A. J. Marik. |