Jelly's Last Jam

The musical opens with the recently deceased Morton in a state of limbo, looking back on his life. He is reluctantly guided by the mysterious 'Chimney Man,' who forces him to recall the more painful moments of his life when he attempts to ignore or embellish them. Born into an old and wealthy mixed-race Creole family in New Orleans, the young Morton rebels against his upbringing by going into the streets and absorbing the rhythms of the vendors and poor blacks, meeting blues musician Buddy Bolden. When his Creole grandmother discovers his new lifestyle, she disowns him.

Forced to go on the road, Morton becomes a prominent composer and musician, and the self-proclaimed creator of jazz. His sadness over his family's rejection causes him to stress his Creole ancestry and claim that there are 'no black notes in my song.' Eventually his pride and racism cause him to betray his best friend and the woman he loves. In his later years, as the Jazz culture continues to grow, Morton is largely forgotten and reduced to dealing with crooked music publishers and gangsters, eventually dying of a knife wound in the colored wing of a Los Angeles hospital. At the moment of his death, Morton at last admits to his heritage - "Ain't no black notes in my song/I was wrong/ I was wrong." At this moment, the shadows of the people in his life surround him to congratulate him, and Morton takes his place in history among the other Jazz legends.

Jelly's Last Jam premiered at the Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, California, in March 1991. Directed by Wolfe, Obba Babatunde played Jelly Roll.^[1]

The Broadway production opened at the Virginia Theatre on April 26, 1992, and closed on September 5, 1993, after 569 performances and 25 previews. The musical was directed by Wolfe, choreographed by Hope Clarke, with tap choreography by Gregory Hines and Ted L. Levy, scenic design by Robin Wagner, costume design by Toni-Leslie James, and lighting design by Jules Fisher.^[2]

In addition to Gregory Hines and Savion Glover as the older and younger Morton, the cast included Keith David as the Chimney Man, Tonya Pinkins as Anita, Ann Duquesnay as Gran Mimi, Stanley Wayne Mathis as Jack the Bear, Mary Bond Davis as Miss Maime and Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Buddy Bolden. Stephanie Pope, Mamie Duncan-Gibbs and Allison M. Williams appeared as the musical trio the Honies, with Ken Ard, and Brenda Braxton appearing in the show's ensemble.^[2] later in the show's run, Phylicia Rashad, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Ben Vereen joined the cast, replacing Pinkins, Hines and David respectively.

An original cast recording was released by Decca Broadway.

The musical was mounted by New York City Center Encores! on February 21, and ran through March 3, 2024.^[3] The production was directed by Robert O'Hara with choreography by Edgar Godineaux and tap choreography by Dormeshia. Nicholas Christopher starred as Jelly opposite Billy Porter as the Chimney Man, Joaquina Kalukango as Anita and Leslie Uggams as Gran Mimi. Pope, Duncan-Gibbs and Williams reprised their roles as the Hunnies from the original Broadway production.^[4] Okieriete Onaodowan and Alaman Diadhiou also starred as Buddy Bolden and Young Jelly.^[5]

All songs are written by Jelly Roll Morton with additional music by Luther Henderson and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, unless indicated.^[6]

• Jelly Roll Morton: Brian Stokes Mitchell
• Chimney Man: Ken Ard, Ben Vereen
• Anita: Phylicia Rashad

John Lahr wrote the introduction to the printed script of Jelly's Last Jam, and noted that the musical "reclaims the gorgeous power of tap dancing as part of musical story telling".^[2]

• Internet Broadway Database listing
• New York Times review (2/22/2024)