Jelly Roll Morton (October 20, c. 1890 – July 10, 1941) was the first great composer and piano player of Jazz. He was a talented arranger who wrote special scores that took advantage of the three-minute limitations of the 78 rpm records. But more than all these things, he was a real character whose spirit shines brightly through history, like his diamond studded smile.As a teenager Jelly Roll Morton worked in the whorehouses of Storyville as a piano player. From 1904 to 1917 Jelly Roll rambled around the South. He worked as a gambler, pool shark, pimp, vaudeville comedian and as a pianist. He was an important transitional figure between ragtime and jazz piano styles.
He played on the West Coast from 1917 to 1922 and then moved to Chicago and where he hit his stride. Morton’s 1923 and 1924 recordings of piano solos for the Gennett label were very popular and influential. He formed the band the Red Hot Peppers and made a series of classic records for Victor. The recordings he made in Chicago featured some of the best New Orleans sidemen like Kid Ory, Barney Bigard, Johnny Dodds, Johnny St. Cyr and Baby Dodds. Morton relocated to New York in 1928 and continued to record for Victor until 1930. His New York version of The Red Hot Peppers featured sidemen like Bubber Miley, Pops Foster and Zutty Singleton.
Like so many of the Hot Jazz musicians, the Depression was hard on Jelly Roll. Hot Jazz was out of style. The public preferred the smoother sounds of the big bands. He fell upon hard times after 1930 and even lost the diamond he had in his front tooth, but ended up playing piano in a dive bar in Washington D.C.
In 1938 Alan Lomax recorded him in for series of interviews about early Jazz for the Library of Congress, but it wasn’t until a decade later that these interviews were released to the public. Jelly Roll died just before the Dixieland revival rescued so many of his peers from musical obscurity. He blamed his declining health on a voodoo spell.
For more information about Jelly Roll Morton’s life and music you are encouraged to visit Monrovia Sound Studio’s Jelly Roll Morton Page
| Title | Recording Date | Recording Location | Company |
| After You’ve Gone (Henry Creamer / J. Turner Layton) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Swaggie JCS-116 (LP) |
| Animule Dance (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-14-1939 | New York, New York | General unreleased R-2567 |
| Animule Dance (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-16-1939 | New York, New York | General |
| Big Foot Ham (Jelly Roll Morton) | 6-9-1924 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5552 |
| Blues (untitled blues song) (Jelly Roll Morton) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Swaggie S-1213 (LP) |
| Buddy Bolden’s Blues (Traditional arranged by Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-16-1939 | New York, New York | General 4003-A Commodore 589 A |
| Bucktown Blues (Boyd Senter) | 6-9-1924 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5515-A |
| Creepy Feeling (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-1938 | Washington, D.C. | Jazz Man 12 (146) |
| Don’t You Leave Me Here (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-16-1939 | New York, New York | General 4005-A Commodore 591 A |
| Fat Meat And Greens (Jelly Roll Morton) | 4-20-1926 | Chicago, Illinois | Vocalion V.1019 |
| Finger Buster (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-1938 | Washington, D.C. | Jazz Man 12 (145) |
| Frances (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-8-1929 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor V-38627-B |
| Freakish (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-8-1929 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 27565-B 49451-1 |
| Freakish (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-8-1929 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor V-38527-B 49451-2 |
| Froggie Moore (Jelly Roll Morton) | April or May 1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Paramount 14032B |
| Grandpa’s Spells (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-18-1923 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5218-A |
| Honeysuckle Rose (1) (Andy Razaf / Fats Waller) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Family SFR-DP 650 |
| Honeysuckle Rose (2) (Andy Razaf / Fats Waller) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Swaggie 2-1213 (LP) |
| Honky Tonk Music (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-1938 | Washington, D.C. | Jazz Man 11 (149) |
| I Ain’t Got Nobody (Graham / Williams) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Swaggie 2-1213 (LP) |
| I Would Do Anything For You (Hill / Williams / Hopkins) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Swaggie 2-1213 (LP) |
| Jelly Roll Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) | 6-9-1924 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5552-A |
| Kansas City Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-18-1923 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5218-B |
| King Porter – A Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-17-1923 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5289-B |
| King Porter Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton) | 4-20-1926 | Chicago, Illinois | Vocalion A 1020 |
| King Porter Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Family SFR-DF 695 |
| King Porter Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-14-1939 | New York, New York | General 1020-B Commodore 591 B |
| London Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) | April or May 1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Rialto un-numbered |
| Mamamita (Jelly Roll Morton) | 4-24-1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Paramount 12216 |
| Mamamita (Jelly Roll Morton) | 6-9-1924 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5632-B |
| Mamie’s Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-16-1939 | New York, New York | General 4001-A Commodore 587 A |
| Melancholy Baby (1) (Norton) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Swaggie 2-1213 (LP) |
| Melancholy Baby (2) (Norton) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Family |
| Michigan Water Blues (Clarence Williams) | 12-18-1939 | New York, New York | General 4002-A Commodore 588 A |
| Mister Joe (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-14-1939 | New York, New York | General 4004-B Commodore 590 B |
| New Orleans Joys (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-17-1923 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5486-B 11538 |
| New Orleans Joys (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-17-1923 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5486-B 11538-A |
| Organ Interlude (Jelly Roll Morton) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Swaggie JCS-116 (LP) |
| Original Rags (Scott Joplin) | 12-14-1939 | New York, New York | General 4001-A Commodore 587 A |
| Pep (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-8-1929 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor V-38627-A |
| Perfect Rag (Jelly Roll Morton) | 6-9-1924 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5486-A |
| Seattle Hunch (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-8-1929 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor V-38527-A 49449-1 |
| Seattle Hunch (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-8-1929 | Chicago, Illinois | Victor 27565-A 49449-2 |
| Shreveport Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton) | 6-9-1924 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5590-A |
| Sporting House Rag (Perfect Rag) (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-14-1939 | New York, New York | Commodore XFL-14942 (LP) |
| Stratford Hunch (Jelly Roll Morton) | 6-9-1924 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5590-B |
| Sweetheart Of Mine (Jelly Roll Morton) | 4-20-1926 | Chicago, Illinois | Vocalion B 1019 |
| The Crave (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-14-1939 | New York, New York | General 4003-B Commodore 589 B |
| The Pearls (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-18-1923 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5323-B |
| The Pearls (Jelly Roll Morton) | 4-20-1926 | Chicago, Illinois | Vocalion A 1020 |
| The Pearls (Jelly Roll Morton) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Swaggie JCS-116 (LP) |
| The Naked Dance (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-14-1939 | New York, New York | Commodore XFL-14942 (LP) R-2563 |
| The Naked Dance (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-16-1939 | New York, New York | General 4002-B Commodore 588 B R-2571 |
| Thirty-Fifth Street (Charles Levy) | 4-24-1924 | Chicago, Illinois | Paramount 12216-A |
| Tia Juana (Tee Wana) (Larry Conley / Gene Rodemich) | 6-9-1924 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5632-A |
| Tiger Rag (Nick LaRocca) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Swaggie S-1213 (LP) |
| Tom Cat Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) | 6-9-1924 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5515-B |
| Trees (J. Kilmer / O. Rasbach) | 8-1938 | Baltimore, Maryland | Swaggie SFR-DP 650 |
| Winin’ Boy Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-14-1939 | New York, New York | General 4004-A Commodore 590 A |
| Winin’ Boy Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-1938 | Washington, D.C. | Jazz Man 11 (147) |
| Wolverine Blues (Benjamin Spikes / John Spikes / Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-18-1923 | Richmond, Indiana | Gennett 5289-A |
| Artist | Instrument |
| Dick Bird | Trumpet |
| Teddy Smith | Alto Saxophone |
| unknown | Guitar, Bass, Drums |
| Title | Recording Date | Recording Location | Company |
| Dead Man Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) | 10-1926 | Chicago, Illinois | QRS 3674 |
| Dead Man Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-1927 | Chicago, Illinois | QRS 06515 |
| Grandpa’s Spells (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 50487 |
| Kansas City Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton) | 11-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 50486 |
| King Porter (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 50480 |
| London Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 50479 |
| Mamanita Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) | 11-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 50478 |
| Midnight Mama (Jelly Roll Morton) | 10-1926 | Chicago, Illinois | QRS 3675 |
| Mr. Jelly Lord (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 12973 |
| New Orleans Blues | 11-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 50508 |
| Shreveport Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 50481 |
| Soap Suds (Jelly Roll Morton) | 12-1925 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Capitol A-999029-2 |
| Stratford Hunch (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 50485 |
| Sweet Man (Maceo Pinkard) | 12-1925 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Capitol 1334 Capitol 2043 |
| The “Jelly Roll” Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 50505 |
| The Pearls (Jelly Roll Morton) | 11-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 50488 |
| Tin Roof Blues (Elmer Schoebel / Larry Sheilds / Leon Roppolo) | 7-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 12974 |
| Tom Cat Blues (Jelly Roll Morton) | 7-1924 | Cincinnati, Ohio | Vocalstyle 12983 |
| Dead Man Blues; Jelly Roll Morton Way Out West by Phil Pastras , University Of California Press, 2001 |
| Oh, Mister Jelly: A Jelly Roll Morton Scrapbook complied by William Russell, 1999 |
| Mister Jelly Roll by Alan Lomax, Deull, Sloan and Pearce, 1949 |
| Jelly Roll Morton An Essay in Discography by Thomas Cusack, Cassell & Co., 1952 |
| Jelly Roll Morton by Martin Williams, Cassell & Co., 1962 |
| Mr. Jelly Lord by Laurie Wright, Storyville Publications, 1980 |
