Jazz wouldn't be jazz without musicians creating variations of the music along the way. What Jelly Roll Morton added to those free-flowing improvisations were careful rehearsal and arrangement.
Born Ferdinand Joseph La Menthe, in 1890 in New Orleans, Louisiana, he billed himself as "Jelly Roll" Morton when he played in vaudeville (variety) shows. In 1917, he moved to California and played in nightclubs.
Jelly Roll Morton is best remembered for such pieces as "Black Bottom Stomp," "Shoe Shiner's Drag," and "Dead Man Blues." Maybe someone you know has some jazz recordings from the 1920s. If so, you can turn the music on and get up and dance.
