Quotes from Jelly Roll Morton

Get up from that piano. You hurtin' its feelings.

Jazz music is a style, not compositions; any kind of music may be played in Jazz if one has the knowledge.

It is evidently known, beyond contradiction, that New Orleans is the cradle of Jazz and I, myself, happened to be the creator in the year 1902.

You can't make jazz without using certain elements of Latin music.

Jazz music is to be played sweet, soft, plenty rhythm.

Now in one of my earliest tunes, "New Orleans Blues," you can notice the Spanish tinge. In fact, if you can't manage to put tinges of Spanish in your tunes, you will never be able to get the right seasoning, I call it, for jazz.

I have been robbed of three million dollars all told. Everyone today is playing my stuff and I don't even get credit. Kansas City style, Chicago style, New Orleans style hell, they're all Jelly Roll style.

Rejoice at the death and cry at the birth: New Orleans sticks close to the Scriptures.