Jelly Roll Morton

Paper Summary:

Jelly Roll Morton was born Ferdinand Joseph La Menthe in 1890 and later became a pioneer of modern American jazz. This paper examines how Morton was not only a jazz legend, but he helped shape all of American popular music during his life and after his death. The paper begins with a look at his early life and how he evolved his career and music into the popular form of jazz known today.

Outline
Early Life
Hitting his Stride
The Music
References

From the Paper:

"While Jelly Roll Morton may not have "created" jazz, as he claimed many times, he certainly made an indelible mark on the genre and helped take jazz to new heights. Influenced by his early life in New Orleans and later by music he heard during his extensive travels, Morton combined well-designed composition with improvisation. Morton was considered by many to be the first true jazz composer, and he incorporated traditionally black, Latino and white musical styles into his own. By no means a man without ego, Morton was the consummate performer and soloist, but he still allowed ample opportunity for his fellow musicians to shine. Although his time was relatively short, Morton had and continues to have a strong influence over American music."

More papers on Jelly Roll Morton:

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