New Orleans Piano Professors
By John Morthland, eMusic Contributor
They played for (often lavish) tips in the bordello parlors of turn-of- the-century Storyville at the same time jazz was being born. They had huge repertoires and kept the music "hot" and rhythmic, to help make sure patrons stayed in the mood. Thanks to the "piano professors," as they were called, the 88's became the primary instrument in New Orleans music. Jelly Roll Morton, one of the fathers of jazz (he'll tell you he created… more »