Jazz music became an important aspect of American culture in the early 20th century. The crisp syncopation of ragtime and the smooth tunes of the blues seeped into traditional American music through dance halls and saloons, and later into ballrooms. Instruments like the piano, trumpet, trombone, and clarinet became important and symbolized the "swing" of jazz because of their ability to syncopate and improvise with precision. With the help of the burgeoning recording industry, musical geniuses were discovered and their talent and contribution to the emergence of jazz spread throughout the country. These musicians include the composer, arranger and pianist Jelly Roll Morton who strongly influenced the development of early jazz through his unique piano style, his "invention" of musical notation for jazz and his compositions which became the core of the repertoire jazz. Because the style was new and different and so successful in attracting a wide audience, musicians around the world tried to imitate it. Additionally, Morton's masterpieces were the first to demonstrate notation for complicated jazz music and thus formed the basis of standard notation in today's jazz compositions. Ferdinand Joseph LaMothe, more commonly known as Jelly Roll Morton, was born into a Creole family in a poor neighborhood. from New Orleans, Louisiana. Morton lived with several family members in different neighborhoods of New Orleans, exposing him to different musical worlds, including European and classical music, dance music, and the blues (Gushee, 394). Morton tried playing several different instruments, including the guitar; however, dissatisfied with the lack of teacher training, he decided to teach himself to play instruments without formal training (Lomax, 8). ...... middle of paper ...... draws on the style of music and influenced the way big bands of later eras would approach jazz. The compositions provided information on how to accurately notate improvised jazz music on paper and thus laid the foundation for the next stage of the jazz timeline: the swing era. Although Jelly Roll Morton began his career without formal training, he grew to become an influential figure. life. His piano style, musical notations on paper, and creative compositions flourished in the 1910s and 1920s and even found their way into later eras, as musicians used Morton's music as a basis for their own. Even after his death, Jelly Roll Morton remains a legendary figure. His works are meticulously preserved and exhibited in the prestigious Smithsonian Museum and universities around the world continue his legacy by teaching students about Jelly Roll Morton and his influential career..