The Life of Jelly Roll Morton

A detailed Summary of The Life of Jelly Roll Morton


Ferdinand Joseph "Jelly Roll Morton" LaMenthe was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 20, 1890. As a child he began to learn how to play the piano at age 10 years old. He was taught by Tony Jackson, composer of songs like "Pretty Boy" and other hits. Tony Jackson is among the few musicians whom Morton admired and respected. He called Jackson " the greatest single-handed entertainers in the world." After the death of his mother, Morton began playing in whorehouses and in the bordellos of the Storyville district of New Orleans. There he became active as a gambler, pool shark, and a lot of things that caused his grandmother to throw him out of the house as a bum and a scalawag. She did not want him around his two little sisters. As a wanderer, and during the fair of 1904, he began traveling such cities as Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis, and Denver playing with various musical organizations as an in demand musician but he could never stay long with one band. "He couldn't stay long in one band too long because he was too eccentric and too temperamental, and he was a one-man band himself", said by bandleader George Morrison whom Morton played for in Denver. Morton really wanted to be the extreme musician. After that he toured the


Tank Town Bump, Low Gravy, and the Blue Blood Blues featured his great solo improvisation, which he was always praised for. Morton, unable to adjust his style to the new jazz style, quickly lost popularity. His fame was replaced by the likes of young jazz players like Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong and other emerging musicians.

http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_morton_jelly_roll.html

Shaw, Arnold, Black Popular Music in America,

Late in 1926, Morton formed the band Red Hot Pepper, a group of seven New Orleans jazz musicians familiar with his style and works. His band featured some of the best sidemen like Kid Ory, Barney Bigard, Johnny Dodds, Johnny St. Cry, and Baby Dodds. They recorded over sixteen small-band sides for Victor, Inc. Pieces like Grandpa's Spells, Black Bottom Stomp, and the Pearls were Morton's masterly examples of his creative talents not only as a composer and arranger, but also as a pianist. As jazz gained popularity, Morton moved to New York in 1928. In New York jazz had taken a turn towards the new big-band style of "swing" and the music of soloist. He continued to record for Victor with his New York version of The Red Hot Peppers featuring sidemen like Bubber Miley, Pops Foster and Zutty Singleton. Numbers like Kansas City Stomp,



Some common words found in the essay are:
William Rossiter, Tony Jackson, Library Congress, Pearls Morton's, Roll Morton, Blood Blues, Piano Company, Louis Denver, St Louis, Morton California, jelly roll, jelly roll morton, roll morton, st louis, stay band, tony jackson, piano solos, morton moved, red hot,

Approximate Word count = 940
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Music

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • Ragtime: The Root of Modern American Music ... Artists like Duke Ellington and Jelly Roll Morton built on Joplin\amp39s licks through their ... the musical roots of ragtime are tied to plantation life,\ampquot in the ... 1533 words
  • Clasical ... that jazz has to do with human survival and the expression of life. ... were those led by Joe ampquotKingampquot Oliver, Louis Armstrong, and Ferdinand ampquotJelly Rollampquot Morton. ... 3175 words
  • Ellington and Jazz in the 30amp39s ... symbol for the best and worst qualities of African American life during the ... Jazz musicians like Joe ampquotKingampquot Oliver, Kid Ory, and Jelly Roll Morton formed small ... 1343 words
  • African AMerican Music ... The lyrics, dealing with the basic problems and hardships of life, such as poverty ... ts of Jazz include Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Jelly Roll Morton. ... 674 words
  • The Social Significance of the Blues and its Impact on Jazz ... brought with them what little they could of their own way of life. ... Armstrong, was a formidable blues singer, as was the great jazz pianist Jelly Roll Morton. ... 851 words

Professional Essays

  • Development of Jazz in the US ... made jazz such a vital and exciting art form: Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver ... native music both originated in a more unified vision of life, one in ... 2444 words
  • Forms of Jazz ... Treemonisha which drove him into poverty at the end of his life. ... Jelly Roll Morton recognized the coherence of ragtime but gave it more freedom, especially in ... 8532 words
  • Harlem Renaissance ... p. 14 explains, Jazz and blues composers like Jelly Roll Morton and Duke ... insight and experience which shapes and informs the individuals subsequent life. ... 2050 words
  • Langston Hughes ... theme of the Harlem Renaissance in its identification with the lifestyles of ... 1922 to play with King Oliveramp39s jazz band, and Jelly Roll Morton began arranging ... 1904 words
  • Fences by August Wilson ... Yet, like so many black men of his era, he left a life unfinished: a ... greatsampquot of the early part of the Twentieth Century, for example Jelly Roll Morton and WC ... 7383 words
  • AfricanAmerican Protest Music from the 60s ... it dealt with and emanated from the fundamental mysteries and contradictions of life. ... By the 20s Fats Waller, Jelly Roll Morton, and Louis Armstrong had become ... 5136 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.