Jelly Roll Morton was born Ferdinand Joseph La Menthe in 1890 and later became a pioneer of modern American jazz. Growing up in New Orleans, he played piano in saloons and brothels when he was still a child. As an adult, he formed a band, the Red Hot Continue Reading...
New Orleans as a Focal Point in the Development of Jazz
New Orleans is known a melting pot of culture and music and it has played a major role in early development of jazz. It was full of opportunity and rich with the fine arts of music and dance, w Continue Reading...
Blacks in Blues Music
Biographer Lawrence Jackson wrote that author Ralph Ellison was exposed to the blues and classical music from an early age, eventually playing the trumpet and pursuing a degree in music at Tuskegee (McLaren Pp). When he moved t Continue Reading...