Today we conclude our three-part series on Jelly Roll Morton. Morton certainly deserves extensive coverage, but his importance is abetted by the value of his verbal banter with music historian John Lomax.

Our show is deeply concerned with historical detail, and rarely are there better opportunities to discover “how music changed’ than to hear stories from a contemporary source. Jelly Roll Morton was there in New Orleans at the birth of Jazz – he even took credit for its invention – so his recollections are invaluable to anybody interested in America’s musical development. In a city full of characters, Jelly Roll Morton was one of the most colorful, and his stories convey his larger-than-life personality, while his music aptly conveys his enormous talent.

Today’s show features some of Morton’s best stories and some of his finest compositions, from various parts of his career. Here is a list of what is covered (unless otherwise specified, all performances are by Jelly Roll Morton);
 

Dr. Jazz
 

Tiger Rag and Interview

Black Bottom Stomp

Honky Tonk Blues/"In New Orleans Anyone Could Carry a Gun"

Dead Man Blues

Funeral Marches (Interview)

The Pearls

The Pearls/Tia Juana – Ry Cooder

"New Orleans Was a Free and Easy Place"

Winding Boy