Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, known professionally as Jelly Roll Morton, was an American ragtime and jazz pianist, bandleader, and composer of Louisiana Creole descent. Morton was jazz's first arranger, proving that a genre rooted in improvisation could retain its essential characteristics when notated. His composition "Jelly Roll Blues", published in 1915, was one of the first published jazz compositions. He also claimed to have invented the genre.
Morton c. 1927
Morton claimed to have written "Jelly Roll Blues" in 1905.
Morton in 1918
Ragtime, also spelled rag-time or rag time, is a musical style that had its peak from the 1890s to 1910s. Its cardinal trait is its syncopated or "ragged" rhythm. Ragtime was popularized during the early 20th century by composers such as Scott Joplin, James Scott and Joseph Lamb. Ragtime pieces are typically composed for and performed on piano, though the genre has been adapted for a variety of instruments and styles.
Cover for "La Pas Ma La" sheet music (1895). Words and Music by Ernest Hogan
Joseph Lamb's 1916 "The Top Liner Rag"
The keys of this player piano from 1885 are controlled by musical information in the center piano roll.
Sheet music cover for "Spaghetti Rag" (1910) by Lyons and Yosco Spaghetti Rag (1910), by Lyons and Yosco