Jelly Roll Morton, in an article he wrote in 1938 declaring himself the inventor of jazz said, “Jazz music is a style, not compositions; any kind of music may be played in Jazz if one has the knowledge.”

According to the Smithsonian National Museum of American history, “jazz is a kind of music in which improvisation is typically an important part. There is tremendous variety in jazz, but most jazz is very rhythmic, has a forward momentum called ‘swing,’ and uses ‘bent’ or ‘blue’ notes…Jazz developed in the United States in the very early part of the 20th century.”

But who gets to decide what jazz really is? How did jazz music come to be, and how does it still influence today’s music? Jelly Roll Morton was able to claim himself the “inventor of Jazz” because he was the first person to write down jazz music as sheet music. But the origins of jazz are actually deeply intertwined with the music and music of Black Americans that was never written down, that was passed down through generations via oral tradition. American jazz music is an embodiment of Black history, and a mix of different sounds and styles that led to what we now consider a genre. Morton truly believed he had invented jazz, but it is more accurate to call him a purveyor of the sound.

In some ways “a history of jazz” is impossible to complete, because so many key elements of its origins were never written down. But here are some key points that illuminate the understanding of jazz that Morton and his contemporaries may have had during their time.

In the opening and closing scenes of Jelly’s Last Jam, the Chimney Man calls forth the memories and spirits of some of the most famous jazz musicians in history:

Go forth Armstrong!
Go forth Ellington!
Go forth Basie, Bolden ‘n Bechet!

All these figures lived and created music around the same time as Jelly Roll Morton. Below you will see how their timelines intertwined and how their collective contributions led to our understanding of what jazz is today.