Jelly's Blues vividly recounts the tumultuous life of Jelly Roll Morton (ca. 1885-1941), born Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe to a large extended family in New Orleans. A virtuoso pianist with a larger-than-life personality, he composed such influential early jazz pieces as King Porter Stomp and New Orleans Blues. But by the late 1930s, Jelly Roll Morton was nearly forgotten. Moreover, he was ridiculed by unscrupulous music publishers. His reputation at rock bottom, Jelly Roll Morton seemed destined to be remembered more as a flamboyant, diamond-toothed rounder than as the brilliant architect of that new American musical idiom: jazz.

In 1992, the death of a New Orleans memorabilia collector led to the unearthing of a startling archive. Here were unknown later compositions, as well as Morton's final correspondence. Howard Reich and William Gaines later augmented this trove by bringing to light the court, copyright, and Congressional records that detailed Morton's struggle to salvage his reputation, recover lost royalties, and protect the publishing rights of black musicians.

Jelly Roll Morton has proved to be a much more complex and passionate man than many realised, fiercely dedicated to his art and possessing an unwavering belief in his own genius, even as he toiled in poverty and obscurity. An especially immediate and visceral look into the jazz worlds of New Orleans and Chicago, Jelly's Blues is the definitive biography of a jazz icon - and a long overdue look at one of the twentieth century's most important composers.

"...With the help of previously unavailable archival materials, we learn of the many tragedies and ultimate triumphs of Morton." - Wynton Marsalis.

HOWARD REICH is the veteran jazz critic of the Chicago Tribune.

WILLIAM GAINES retired from the Chicago Tribune in 2001, and is a Knight Professor of the University of Illinois.

>back to previous page