Showlist J
 JELLY'S LAST JAM
Music by Jelly Roll Morton Book by George C. Wolfe; Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead
Virginia Theatre, Broadway - 26 April. 1992 (569 perfs)
Synopsis
He wore a diamond in his tooth, denied he was black and
claimed to have invented, single-handedly the genre we know as jazz. Jelly
Roll Morton, jazz pioneer reinvented himself so as to conquer the vast
American expanse. He was a musical genius who was prone to romanticising
his past.
Born a Creole of colour in turn-of-the-century New Orleans, he came of
age playing piano in the whorehouses of Storyville. At the age of 15 he
was disowned by his great grandmother and took to riding the rails, hustling
pool and seducing women before setting Chicago on fire in the 20s with
his dazzling jazz compositions. Rejected by the New York music establishment
he did destitute and disillusioned in Los Angeles in 1941. This is his
story .....
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Cast
Jelly Roll Morton
Chimney Man
Young Jelly
Jack the Bear
Anita
Miss Mamie
Hunnie
Gran Mimi
Buddy Bolden
Foot-in-yo-ass-Sam
Too-Tight Nora
Melrose Brother
Three Finger Jake
and the many characters who appeared throughout the life of Jelly Roll
Morton
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Musical Numbers
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Prologue - Chimney Man
- The Jam - The Hunnies & the crowd
- In My Day - Jelly, The Hunnies
- The Creole Way - Ancestors, Amede, Viola, Young Jelly
- The Whole World's Waiting To Hear Your Song - Jelly, Young Jelly,
the street crowd
- Michigan Water - Miss Mamie, Buddy Bolden
- The Banishment - Gran Mimi, Young Jelly, Jelly
- Somethin' More - Jelly, Jack, The Chimney Man, the Hunnies, the
Crowd
- That's How You Jazz - Jelly, Jack, the Dance Hall Crowd
- The Chicago Strut - Jelly, the Red Hot Peppers, the Chimney Man,
the Hunnies, the Chicago Crowd
- Play the Music For Me - Anita
- Lovin's Is A Low Down Blues - The Hunnies
- Doctor Jazz - Jelly, the Crowd
- Good Ole New York - The Chimney Man, the Hunnies, the New York
Crowd
- Too Late Daddy - Jelly, the Harlem Crowd
- That's the Way We Do Things In New York - Jelly, the Melrose
Brothers
- Last Chance Blues - Jelly, Anita
- Creole Boy - Jelly
- We Are the Rhythms That Colour Your Song - Company
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| Discography
OBC - Mercury 314 510 846-2
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