A biography of Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton, one of the world's most influential composers of jazz.
A classic in the field of jazz and African-American studies, this is a collaborative biography, with a strong folkloric element (Jelly Roll having mastered the role of trickster), by two of the greats in American popular music: Alan Lomax and (Ferdinand) Jelly Roll Morton, the great New Orleans musician and originator of jazz.