Jelly Roll Morton
Jelly Roll Morton
1890 - 1941
Ferdinand Joseph La Menthe
(although the text says ÒLemott Ferdinand Joseph MortonÓ)
First important
jazz composer
Pianist with minstrel
and vaudeville
Recorded for
Alan Lomax and
the Library of Congress
ÒSpanish tingeÓ
tango rhythms v/s ragtime
Mamanita (SCJP 1-1)
Jelly Roll Morton
1885-1941
Jelly Roll Morton
Innovations:
Latin rhythms into ragtime-blues
jazz
Composer-arrangerÕs orderliness
Careful notation
MortonÕs arrangements set him
apart
Collective improvisation v/s
arrangements
ÒDead Man BluesÓ SCCJ 1-7
Jelly Roll as a
performer-composer-arranger
Varying textures
Contrasts
Each chorus presents a new and
refreshing sound
Personnel
Piano - Jelly Roll Morton
Trombone - ÒKidÓ Ory
Trumpet - George Mitchell
Solo Clarinet - Omer Simeon
Clarinet - Barney Bigard
Banjo - Johnny St. Cyr
Bass - John Lindsay
Drums - Andrew Hilaire
ÒDead Man BluesÓ
What to listen for:
The unexpected clarinet trio.
Trombone solo over the clarinet
trio.
The band accents the syncopated
beat.
ÒDead Man BluesÓ SCCJ 1-7
.00 Introduction: Funeral march.
.14 Slow Dixie beat. 4/4: Collective improvisation.
.37 Clarinet solo with piano accmpt. In ragtime style.
.58 Trombone leads into the trumpet solo with piano accmpt.
1.23 2nd chorus: Trumpet solo
1.30 Banjo and piano play a modified stop time in the background.
1.45 Clarinet trio plays tutti rhythm; the rest of the band plays
sharp accents.
2.07 Repeat of the clarinet trio, with a trombone solo in the
background.
2.29 Collective improvisation; trombone continues its melodic
solo.
2.52 Coda: Clarinet trio, followed by a sharp accent from the
band.
2.56 End.
ÒBlack Bottom StompÓSCCJ 1-6
In this recording, it is almost
impossible to detect the improvisation
Listen to the ends of the solos
Personnel:
Piano - Jelly Roll Morton
Trumpet - George Mitchell
Trombone - ÒKidÓ Ory
Clarinet - Omer Simeon
Banjo - Johnny St. Cyr
Bass - John Lindsay
Drums - Andrew Hilaire
ÒBlack Bottom StompÓ SCCJ 1-6
.00 The introduction is highly arranged.
.07 The first statement of the theme is also arranged.
.22 Trumpet call.
.26 Band responds.
.30 Trumpet call, stop time.
.33 Band responds.
.37 The clarinet solos while the piano plays the same melody in
the background.
.41 Clarinet improvisation.
.49 Phrase repeats.
.56 Collective improvisation.
1.02 An arranged phrase ending.
1.15 Clarinet solo in low register.
1.21 Solo break.
1.31 An arranged fill for the entire band, with accented chords.
1.33 Piano solo in stride style.
1.52 Muted trumpet solo, stop-time accmpt.
2.10 Banjo solo, accompanied by bass and drums; chorus begins
with stop time, and then the bass walks, that is, plays a note of the chord on
each beat.
2.29 Collective improvisation; rhythm section fades into the
background.
2.35 Short cymbal solo break.
2.48 Accent on 2nd and 4th beats by the drummer, producing a 2/4
jazz beat.
2.54 Trombone solo break.
3.05 Tag or coda.
3.09 End.
Jelly Roll Morton 1885-1941
A little history:
Born Ferdinand La Menthe in 1885
or 1890
Father was an itinerant trombone
player and carpenter
Experimented with drums, trombone,
harmonica, violin, guitar
Received formal classical training
Played in Storyville - Grandmother
threw him out
A little History, continued
Constantly on the move
Hustled pool, bell hop, pimping,
tailoring, peddling, card shark
Minstrel shows, managed
nightclubs, promoted boxing matches.
1923 - moved to Chicago and stayed
for 5 years
Jelly Roll Morton and The
Red Hot
Peppers
The Red Hot Peppers
The Red Hot Peppers were formed in
1926 for RCA
The first recording were Sept. 15
in Chicago
They recorded 57 sides
Jelly Roll assembled bands under
this name thirteen times
The instrumentation was never
fixed
The basic band instrumentation:
Clarinet, trumpet, trombone,
piano, bass, drums, banjo
The Red Hot Peppers
1926 - Morton added 2 clarinets
and 2 violins
Many musicians played over the
years
Players included:
Trumpets - Bubber Miley, Arthur
Wetzel,Freddy Jenkins
Trombones - Joe Nanton,Sandy
Williams
Clarinets - Barney Bigard
Saxophones - Johnny Hidges,
Russell Procope
Bassist - Wellman Braud
1928 - the Jelly Roll was in NYC
where 33 more tunes were recorded
Jelly Roll Morton
1930 - the band began to loose
popularity
Money, diamonds, gold
1938 - Alan Lomax tracked him down
12 LPs for the Library of Congress
over a 2-month period
The Lomax recordings sparked a
revival resulting in 12 more albums
Jelly Roll played piano, sang, and
provided a spoken commentary
Jelly Roll
1940 - November, Jelly Roll went to LA
1941 - Jelly Roll died on July 10
in a LA hospital
Jelly Roll balanced improvisation
and written-out arrangements
He claimed to have invented jazz
in 1902