Morton, Jelly Roll

Jelly Roll Morton Composer and pianist Ferdinand LaMott, New Orleans, Louisiana, October 20, 1890; Los Angeles, California, July 10, 1941. Morton created a way of arranging that encompassed other players’ ideas and yet retained his own conceptions. Morton ’s piano style was distinctive and, once heard, was never forgotten or confused with anyone else’s. He had definite ideas about his music and was the most articulate jazzman of his time. There was nothing haphazard or accidental in his…