Jelly Roll Morton
FameRank: 6

"Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe", known professionally as "Jelly Roll Morton", was an American ragtime and Dixieland/early jazz pianist, bandleader and composer who started his career in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Widely recognized as a pivotal figure in early jazz, Morton is perhaps most notable as jazz's first arranger, proving that a genre rooted in improvisation could retain its essential spirit and characteristics when notated. His composition "Jelly Roll Blues" was the first published jazz composition, in 1915. Morton is also notable for naming and popularizing the "Spanish Tinge" (habanera (music)/habanera rhythm and tresillo (rhythm)/tresillo), and for writing such jazz standard/standards as "King Porter Stomp", "Wolverine Blues (Jelly Roll Morton)/Wolverine Blues", "Black Bottom Stomp", and "I Thought I Heard Buddy Bolden Say", the latter a tribute to New Orleans musicians from the turn of the 19th century to 20th century.

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My contributions were many: First clown director, with witty sayings and flashily dressed, now called master of ceremonies.

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In 1908 Handy didn't know anything about the blues and he doesn't know anything about jazz and stomps to this day. I myself figured out the peculiar form of mathematics and harmonies that was strange to all the world but me.

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Everything from blues to opera!

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Jazz music is to be played sweet, soft, plenty rhythm.

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I have been robbed of three million dollars all told. Everyone today is playing my stuff and I don't even get credit. Kansas City style, Chicago style, New Orleans style hell, they're all Jelly Roll style.

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