Jellys Blues The Life Music And Redemption Of Jelly Roll Morton Howard Reich by Howard Reich, William M. Gaines, William Gaines 9780306812095, 0306812096 instant download after payment.

But by the late 1930s, Jelly Roll Morton was nearly forgotten as a visionary jazz composer. Instead, he was caricatured as a braggart, a hustler, and, worst of all, a has-been. He was ridiculed by the white popular press & robbed of due royalties by unscrupulous music publishers. His reputation at rock bottom, Jelly Roll Morton seemed destined to be remembered more as a flamboyant, diamond-toothed rounder than as the brilliant architect of that new American musical idiom: Jazz.

In 1992, the death of a New Orleans memorabilia collector unearthed a startling archive. Here were unknown later compositions as well as correspondence, court & copyright records, all detailing Morton's struggle to salvage his reputation, recover lost royalties, & protect the publishing rights of black musicians. Morton was a much more complex & passionate man than many had realized, fiercely dedicated to his art & possessing an unwavering belief in his own genius, even as he toiled in poverty & obscurity. 

An especially immediate & visceral look into the jazz worlds of New Orleans & Chicago, Jelly's Blues is the definitive biography of a jazz icon, & a long overdue look at one of the twentieth century's most important composers.