Take a journey into the smoky parlors of turn-of-the-century New Orleans, where the syncopated rhythms of a new sound were being born. Jelly Roll: The Birth of Jazz is a gripping, six-episode biopic miniseries that chronicles the extraordinary life of Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, better known as Jelly Roll Morton, the self-proclaimed inventor of jazz and one of its first great architects.
Born to a Creole family, Morton’s journey is one of genius, ambition, and controversy. From the raucous brothels of Storyville, where he honed his craft as a ragtime and blues pianist, to the grand stages of Chicago, New York, and beyond, Morton’s meteoric rise as jazz’s first arranger—and one of its most complex characters—is set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing America.
The series delves into Morton’s triumphs, including the publication of “Jelly Roll Blues,” one of the first notated jazz compositions, and his role in transforming jazz from a local phenomenon into a global art form. It also explores his struggles, from the racism and colorism he faced as a Creole man, to his clashes with other jazz pioneers, to his later years as his fame dimmed, but his influence endured.
