28 CURRENT MUSICOLOGY JEFFREY M A G E E 29

Example 1: " K i n g Porter Stomp." By Ferd "Jelly Roll" M o r t o n . © 1924 (Renewed) E D W I N H . Example 1 (cont.)
M O R R I S & C O M P A N Y , A Division of M P L Communications, Inc. This arrangement ©
2002 E D W I N H . M O R R I S & C O M P A N Y , A Division of M P L Communications, Inc. A l l
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30 CURRENT MUSICOLOGY JEFFREY M A G E E 31

Example 1 (cont.) U s e o f riffs reveals a n o t h e r way i n w h i c h M o r t o n reaches b e y o n d rag-

t i m e . I n the T r i o a n d S t o m p strains, M o r t o n b u i l d s eight-bar phrases f r o m
r e p e a t e d one- a n d two-bar riffs. C o n v e n t i o n a l l y c o n s i d e r e d a p h e n o m e n o n
a p p e a r i n g i n b a n d a r r a n g e m e n t s o f the 1930s a n d 1940s, riffs d i s t i n g u i s h
• I H M o r t o n ' s style n o t o n l y i n " K i n g P o r t e r S t o m p , " b u t also i n o t h e r pieces
s u c h as " B i g F o o t H a m , " " G r a n d p a ' s S p e l l s , " a n d " W o l v e r i n e B l u e s "
=r=f=? H
1
> >\ r r ( D a p o g n y 1 9 8 2 : 4 9 6 a n d p a s s i m ) . M o r t o n ' s " K i n g P o r t e r " riffs, i n
1 ——
\t T J r - D a p o g n y ' s w o r d s , " p o i n t e d the way f o r a r r a n g e rs a n d c o m p o s e r s for years
to c o m e " ( D a p o g n y 1982:496).
A l t h o u g h M o r t o n contrasts the T r i o a n d S t o m p strains w i t h riffs, h e u n -
derscores e a c h o f t h e m w i t h a f o r m o f a r e c y c l i n g I V - V - I p r o g r e s s i o n , i n
w h i c h the t o n i c serves a d o m i n a n t f u n c t i o n , t o n i c i z i n g the s u b d o m i n a n t .
T h e b u i l t - i n m o m e n t u m o f starting away f r o m the t o n i c a n d r e t u r n i n g to
tiiJ i
it every two bars surely a c c o u n ts for the p i e c e ' s a p p e a l to later j a z z soloists.
M o r t o n d i s t i n g u i s h e s the h a r m o n i c p l a n s o f the T r i o a n d S t o m p o n l y
i n t h e i r bass lines. I n the T r i o , the t o n i c is a p p r o a c h e d by c h r o m a t i c de-

''ill scent i n the bass l i n e : B k A , A t , to D k I n the S t o m p , the t o n i c is r e a c h e d

t h r o u g h c h r o m a t i c ascent: G\>, G , A\>, to D k T h i s reveals a n o t h e r key de-
p a r t u r e f r o m r a g t i m e : c o n t r a s t i n g strains u n i f i e d by a c o m m o n h a r m o n i c
p l a n . T h e first e v i d e n c e o f M o r t o n ' s characteristic p r a c t i ce o f strain varia-
t i J t
*t t i J t t i o n appears i n his 1915 p u b l i c a t i o n o f " O r i g i n a l J e l l y R o l l B l u e s , " w h i c h
1 1
r r D a p o g n y , slightly m o r e decisively t h a n S c h u l l e r , calls " p r o b a b l y " the first
p u b l i s h e d j a z z c o m p o s i t i o n ( D a p o g n y 1982:293; cf. S c h u l l e r 1968:137).
I n the f i n a l s t r a i n , the h i g h El] draws a t t e n t i o n to a n o t h e r d i s t i n c t i ve
ij),i., i f f i ^f
ht iw-p—— i , . J 1 i ? J i . ^ J . h j J f i feature o f M o r t o n ' s style: the b l u e note. E d w a r d B e r l i n has c i t e d a few ex-
<^*Ht 'U 1J 1 Tr> f 1
a m p l e s o f b l u e s - i n f l e c t e d r a g t i m e pieces, yet they t e n d to p r o v e the r u l e
that, especially before 1912, r a g t i m e rarely got the blues ( B e r l i n 1 9 8 0 : 1 5 4 -
>4 j 4
6 0 ) . T h e blues saturate M o r t o n ' s works, however, a n d i n " K i n g P o r t e r " the
i » 14 "jj r1 41^-4—^ r • r -J- b l u e t h i r d stands o u t as the m o s t distinctive p i t c h o f the c l i m a c t i c f i n a l
strain's riff.
^£ -.1'*- Is " K i n g P o r t e r S t o m p " a rag? O n the surface it w o u l d a p p e a r so. I n
fact, o n a 1925 sheet m u s i c cover, M e l r o s e advertise d the p i e c e as p a r t o f
"Jelly R o l l M o r t o n ' s F a m o u s B l u e s a n d R a g Series" ( D a p o g n y 1982: plate
b e t w e e n 3 6 - 3 7 ) . Y e t , a l t h o u g h his f o r m a n d s o m e figuration f o l l o w rag-
t i m e , it is clear that M o r t o n ' s v a r i e d left-hand style, his riff-based p h r a s e
structure, his variations o n the T r i o a n d S t o m p strains, a n d his use o f the
blues place " K i n g P o r t e r S t o m p " i n a n o t h e r w o r l d . Stylistically a n o m a l o u s
i n the early 1900s, the p i e c e w o u l d r e m a i n so i n the S w i n g E r a a n d b e y o n d .

Stock Arrangements and Early Band Recordings (1924-25)

T h e M e l r o s e B r o t h e r s gave the p i e c e every c h a n c e to s u c c e e d. H a d they
s i m p l y i s s u e d " K i n g P o r t e r S t o m p " as a p i a n o s o l o , i t m i g h t n o t have