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Jazz Artists Born on 10/20

By

Dr. C. Fitzgerald Wicks

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1–2 minutes

To read

Happy Birthday Russell Gunn and Jelly Roll Morton. Jelly Roll Morton dubbed himself as the inventor of jazz and Gunn is definitely an innovator of jazz.

According to his brief biography on All About Jazz, Morton began his career in Biloxi, MS playing at many of the brothels around town in the early 1900s. Jelly Roll Morton is actually the stage name for Ferdinand Joseph Lemott (Lamothe) according to the same article.

JELLY ROLL MORTON’S RED HOT PEPPERS: Jelly Roll Morton, p, v, speech, dir: George Mitchell, c / Kid Ory, tb / Omer Simeon, cl / Johnny St. Cyr, bj, g / John Lindsay, sb / Andrew Hilaire, d. Webster Hotel, Chicago, December 16, 1926.

Russell Gunn also has Mississippi roots as a member of the famous HBCU band “The Sonic Boom” of Jackson State University. He left early to pursue his musical career and continues an active schedule.

Russell Gunn and the Royal Krunk Jazz Orchestra – Atlanta Jazz Festival
Autograph in 2015 at The Penguin Restaurant on the Campus of Jackson State University

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Ama Ndlovu explores the connections of culture, ecology, and imagination.

Her work combines ancestral knowledge with visions of the planetary future, examining how Black perspectives can transform how we see our world and what lies ahead.

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