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Jelly Roll Morton

Jelly Roll Morton

Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton (October 20, 1890 - July 10, 1941) was a virtuoso pianist, a bandleader, and a composer who some call the first true composer of Jazz music. Morton was a colorful character who liked to generate publicity for himself by bragging. His business card referred to him as the "Creator of Jazz and Swing".

Birth

Ferdinand Joseph Lamothe was born into a Creole community in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of downtown New Orleans, Louisiana on October 20, 1890. His parents were Edward J. Lamothe and Louise Monette (written as Lemott and Monett on his baptismal certificate). Eulaley Haco (Eulalie Hécaud) was the godparent. Ferdinand’s parents were in a common-law marriage and not legally married. No birth certificate has been found to date. He took the name "Morton" by Anglicizing the name of his step-father, Mouton.

New Orleans

He was (along with Tony Jackson) one of the best regarded pianists in the Storyville District early in the 20th century. Among other occupations, he was also at one time a pimp.

Touring

After leaving New Orleans, Morton traveled widely in North America, spending several years in California before moving to Chicago, Illinois in 1923, where he released the first of his commercial recordings, both as a piano soloist and with various jazz bands.

Victor Company

In 1926 Morton succeeded in getting a contract to make recordings for the USA's largest and most prestigious company, Victor. This gave him a chance to bring a well rehearsed band to play his arrangements in Victor's Chicago recording studios. These recordings by Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers are regarded as classics of 1920s jazz. The Red Hot Peppers featured such other New Orleans jazz luminaries as Kid Ory, Omer Simeon, Barney Bigard, Johnny Dodds, and Baby Dodds. Jelly Roll Morton & His Red Hot Peppers were one of the first acts booked on tours by MCA.

New York City

Morton moved to New York City in 1928, where he continued to record for Victor. His piano solos and trio recordings are well regarded, but his band recordings suffer in comparison with the Chicago sides where Morton could draw on many great New Orleans musicians for sidemen. In New York, Morton had trouble finding musicians who wanted to play his style of jazz. With the Great Depression and the near collapse of the phonograph record industry, Morton's recording contract was not renewed by Victor for 1931. Morton continued playing less prosperously in New York, briefly had a radio show in 1934, then was reduced to touring in the band of a traveling burlesque act. He wound up in Washington D.C., where folklorist Alan Lomax first heard Morton playing solo piano in a dive in an African American neighborhood. (Morton was also the master of ceremonies, manager, and bartender of the place he played.)

The Library of Congress Interviews

In May, 1938, Alan Lomax began recording interviews with Morton for the Library of Congress. The sessions, originally intended as a short interview with musical examples for use by music researchers in the Library of Congress, soon expanded to record more than eight hours of Morton talking and playing piano, in addition to longer interviews which Lomax took notes on but did not record. Despite the low fidelity of these non-commercial recordings, their musical and historical importance attracted jazz fans, and portions have repeatedly been issued commercially. These interviews helped assure Morton's place in jazz history. Lomax was very interested in Morton's Storyville days and some of the off-color songs played in Storyville. Morton was reluctant to recount and record these, but eventually obliged Lomax. Morton's "Jelly Roll" nickname is a sexual reference and many of his lyrics from his Storyville days were vulgar. Some of the Library of Congress recordings were unreleased until near the end of the 20th century due to their nature. Morton was aware that having been born in 1890, he was slightly too young to make a good case for himself as the actual inventor of jazz, and so presented himself as five years older. Research has shown that Morton placed the dates of some early incidents of his life (and probably the dates when he first composed his early tunes) a few years too early, and his statement that Buddy Bolden played ragtime but not jazz is contradicted by other New Orleans contemporaries. Most of the rest of Morton's reminiscences, however, have proved to be reliable.

Morton's Later Years

During the period when he was recording his interviews, Morton was seriously injured by knife wounds when a fight broke out at the Washington, District of Columbia dive he was playing in. His recovery from his wounds was incomplete, and thereafter he was often ill and easily became short of breath. Morton made a new series of commercial recordings in New York, several recounting tunes from his early years that he had been talking about in his Library of Congress Interviews.

Death

He then moved to Los Angeles, California with a series of manuscripts of new tunes and arrangements, planning to form a new band and restart his career. However he took seriously ill shortly after his arrival and died on July 10, 1941, after an eleven-day stay in Los Angeles County General Hospital.

Compositions

Morton wrote dozens of songs, including "Wolverine Blues", "The Pearls", "Mama Nita", "Froggie More", "Black Bottom Stomp", "London Blues", "Sweet Substitute", "Creepy Feeling", "Good Old New York", "Sidewalk Blues", "Tank Town Bump", "Kansas City Stop", "Freakish", "Shake It", "Burnin' The Iceberg", "Ganjam", "Pacific Rag", "My Home Is In A Southern Town", "Turtle Twist", "Why?", "New Orleans Bump", "Fickle Fay Creep", "Stratford Hunch", "Shreveport Stomp", "Milneberg Joys", "Red Hot Pepper", "Jungle Blues", "Mint Julep", "Pontchartrain", "Pep", "Someday Sweetheart", "The Finger Buster", "The Crave", and "Grandpa's Spells". Several of his compositions were musical tributes to himself, including "Winin' Boy", "The Original Jelly-Roll Blues" and "Mister Jelly Lord". In the Big Band era, his "King Porter Stomp" which Morton had written decades earlier, was a big hit for Fletcher Henderson and Benny Goodman, and became a standard covered by most other swing bands of that time. Morton also claimed to have written some tunes that were copyrighted by others, including "Alabama Bound" and "Tiger Rag".

Legacy

Two Broadway shows have featured his music, Jelly Roll and Jelly's Last Jam. The first draws heavily on Morton's own words and stories from the Library of Congress interviews. The later show has created considerable controversy with its very fictionalized and unsympathetic portrayal of Morton, and has been sued by Morton's family.

Notes on birthday

His death certificate for California lists his birthdate as "September 20, 1889" and lists his mother's maiden name as "Monette".

References


- Time magazine; March 11, 1940; "Jelly"

Further reading


- Mister Jelly Roll by Alan Lomax (1950, 1973, 2001 U. of California Press, ISBN 0-520-22530-9). For decades the only important book on Morton, contains a biography based on Morton's Library of Congress interviews interspersed with interviews with other contemporary musicians. The 2001 edition adds an afterword by Lawrence Gushee focussing largely on Morton's ancestry and other historical questions not fully explored by Lomax.
- Mr. Jelly Lord by Laurie Wright (1980 Storyville Publications). Mostly a detailed discography, focusing on Morton's recordings.
- Oh Mister Jelly! A Jelly Roll Morton Scrapbook by William Russell (1999 Jazz Media ApS, Copenhagen). Jazz historian William Russell spent over 40 years compiling this book, containing interviews with musicans, relatives, and others who knew and worked with Morton, in addition to Morton's own writings and letters. A compendium of source material, with no attempt to weave it into a single narrative.
- Dead Man Blues: Jelly Roll Morton Way Out West by Phil Pastras (2001 University of California Press) Focuses on Morton's previously largely neglected years in California and his relationship with Anita Gonzales
- Jelly's Blues: The Life, Music, and Redemption of Jelly Roll Morton by Howard Reich & William Gaines, Da Capo Press, 2003. Well organized and articulate biography marred by numerous factual errors. Makes a strong case that Morton was correct when he claimed that he had been cheated out of over a million dollars due him in royalties for his compositions.

External links


- [http://www.pbs.org/jazz/biography/artist_id_morton_jelly_roll.htm Grove Dictionary of Jazz: Jelly Roll Morton]
- [http://www.doctorjazz.freeserve.co.uk/page10.html Ferd 'Jelly Roll' Morton] Very extensive site
- [http://redhotjazz.com/jellyroll.html Jelly Roll Morton on RedHotJazz.com] Biography with audio files of many of Morton's historic recordings Morton, Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, Ferdinand "Jelly Roll" Morton, Ferdinand Morton, Jelly Roll Morton, Jelly Roll Morton, Jelly Roll Morton, Jelly Roll Morton, Jelly Roll Morton, Jelly Roll ja:ジェリー・ロール・モートン

1890

1890 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar).

Events


- January 2 - Alice Sanger becomes the first female staffer for the U.S. White House.
- January 25 - The United Mine Workers of America is founded.
- January 25 - Nellie Bly completes her round-the-world journey in 72 days.
- March 1 - Léon Bourgeois succeeds Ernest Constans as French Minister of the Interior
- March 4 - The longest bridge in Britain, the Forth Bridge (1,710 ft) in Scotland is opened.
- March 20 - Wilhelm II of Germany fires Otto von Bismarck
- March 27 - A tornado strikes Louisville, Kentucky, killing 76 people and injuring 200.
- May 12 - The first ever official County Championship match begins. Yorkshire beat Gloucestershire by eight wickets at Bristol. George Ulyett scores the first century in the competition.
- June 1 - The United States Census Bureau begins using Herman Hollerith's tabulating machine to count census returns.
- July 1 - Britain receives Zanzibar from Germany in exchange of Heligoland
- July 3 - Idaho is admitted as the 43rd U.S. state.
- July 10 - Wyoming is admitted as the 44th U.S. state.
- July 27 - Vincent van Gogh shoots himself to the chest and dies two days later
- August 6 - At Auburn Prison in New York, the first execution by electric chair is performed (murderer William Kemmler was the subject).
- October 8 - First flight of Clement's Ader airplane "Eole" In Satory, France. In Greek mythology, Eole is the god of the winds.
- October 11 - In Washington, DC, the Daughters of the American Revolution is founded.
- November 23 - King William III of the Netherlands dies without a male heir and a special law is passed to allow his daughter Princess Wilhelmina to become Queen.
- November 29 - The Meiji Constitution goes into effect in Japan and the first Diet convenes.
- November 29 - In West Point, New York, the United States Navy defeats the United States Army 24 to 0 in the first Army-Navy football game.
- December 29 - The United States Seventh Cavalry massacres over 400 men, women and children at Wounded Knee, South Dakota (see Wounded Knee Massacre).

Unknown dates


- Scotland Yard moves to the Embankment.
- The corrugated cardboard box is invented by Robert Gair.
- U.S. Census - Herman Hollerith devises a method using punch cards (like Jacquard's loom) to tabulate census data by machine. (see also History of computing hardware). Hollerith's company eventually becomes IBM.
- The bustle goes out of fashion.

Births

January-March


- January 1 - Anton Melik, Slovenian geographer (d. 1966)
- January 4 - Victor Lustig, Bohemian-born con artist (d. 1947)
- January 9 - Kurt Tucholsky, German-born journalist and satirist (d. 1935)
- January 9 - Karel Čapek, Czech writer (d. 1938)
- January 19 - Élise Rivet, French Roman Catholic nun and war heroine (d. 1945)
- February 10 - Boris Pasternak, Russian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (declined) (d. 1960)
- February 14 - Nina Hamnett, Welsh artist (d. 1956)
- February 17 - Ronald Fisher, English biologist (d. 1962)
- February 18 - Adolphe Menjou, American actor (d. 1963)
- February 24 - Marjorie Main, American actress (d. 1975)
- February 25 - Dame Myra Hess, English pianist (d. 1965)
- February 27 - Freddie Keppard, American jazz musician (d. 1933)
- March 9 - (new style) Vyacheslav Molotov, Soviet politician (d. 1986)
- March 11 - Vannevar Bush, American engineer, inventor, and politician (d. 1974)
- March 20 - Beniamino Gigli, Italian tenor (d. 1957)
- March 20 - Lauritz Melchior, Danish-American tenor (d. 1973)
- March 28 - Paul Whiteman, American bandleader (d. 1967)
- March 31 - William Lawrence Bragg, English physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1971)

April-June


- April 6 - Anthony Fokker, Dutch aircraft manufacturer (d. 1939)
- May 4 - Franklin Carmichael, Canadian artist (d. 1945)
- May 10 - Alfred Jodl, German general (d. 1946)
- May 11 - Woodall Rodgers, mayor of Dallas, Texas (d. 1961)
- May 15 - Katherine Anne Porter, American author (d. 1980)
- May 19 - Ho Chi Minh, President of North Vietnam (d. 1969)
- May 23 - Herbert Marshall, English actor (d. 1966)
- June 6 - Ted Lewis, American jazz musician and entertainer (d. 1971)
- June 16 - Stan Laurel, British actor (d. 1965)
- June 26 - Jeanne Eagels, American actress (d. 1929)
- June 29 - Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, oldest living person on record since May 2004

July-September


- July 18 - Frank Forde, Australian Prime Minister (d. 1983)
- July 22 - Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, American philantropist and matriarch of the Kennedy family
- August 5 - Erich Kleiber, Austrian conductor (d. 1956)
- August 15 - Jacques Ibert, French composer (d. 1962)
- August 15 - Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bolden, oldest living woman, born in Somerville, Tennessee
- August 18 - Walther Funk, German Nazi politician (d. 1960).
- August 20 - Howard Phillips Lovecraft, American writer (d. 1937)
- August 24 - Duke Kahanamoku, American swimmer (d. 1968)
- September 10 - Elsa Schiaparelli, French couturiere (d. 1973)
- September 15 - Agatha Christie, English writer (d. 1976)
- September 15 - Frank Martin, Swiss composer (d. 1974)
- September 20 - Jelly Roll Morton, American jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader (d. 1941)

October-December


- October 2 - Groucho Marx, American comedian (d. 1977)
- October 14 - Dwight David Eisenhower, U.S. general and President of the United States (d. 1969)
- October 16 - Michael Collins, Irish patriot (d. 1922)
- October 16 - Paul Strand, American photographer (d. 1976)
- October 17 - Roy Kilner, English cricketer (d. 1928)
- October 24 - Maria do Couto Maia-Lopes, Portuguese supercentenarian
- November 22 - Charles de Gaulle, President of France (d. 1970)
- November 23 - El Lissitzky, Russian artist and architect (d. 1941)
- November 24 - August Belmont, Sr., Prussian-born financier (b. 1816)
- December 5 - David Bomberg, English painter (d. 1957)
- December 8 - Bohuslav Martinů, Czech composer (d. 1959)
- December 20 - Jaroslav Heyrovský, Czech chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)
- December 21 - Hermann Joseph Muller, American geneticist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1967)
- December 26 - Uncle Charlie Osborne, Appalachian fiddler (d. 1992)
- December 30 - Lanoe Hawker, British fighter pilot (d. 1916)

Unknown date


- Bechara El Khoury, President of Lebanon (d. 1964)

Deaths


- January 18 - King Amadeus I of Spain (b. 1845)
- February 22 - John Jacob Astor III, American businessman (b. 1822)
- February 22 - Carl Heinrich Bloch, Danish painter (b. 1834)
- June 30 - Samuel Parkman Tuckerman, American composer (b. 1819)
- July 15 - Gottfried Keller, Swiss writer (b. 1819)
- July 29 - Vincent van Gogh, Dutch painter (b. 1853)
- August 11 - John Henry Newman, English Roman Catholic Cardinal (b. 1801)
- October 26 - Carlo Collodi, Italian writer (b. 1826)
- November 3 - Ulrich Ochsenbein, member of the Swiss Federal Council (b. 1811)
- November 8 - César Franck, Belgian composer and organist (b. 1822)
- November 23 - King William III of the Netherlands (b. 1817)
- December 26 - Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist (b. 1822)

Date unknown


- Clinton B. Fisk, American philanthropist and temperance activist Category:1890 ko:1890년 ms:1890 simple:1890 th:พ.ศ. 2433

July 10

July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining.

Events


- 48 BC - Battle of Dyrrhachium, Caesar barely avoids a catastrophic defeat to Pompey in Macedonia.
- 1584 - William I of Orange was assassinated in his home in Delft, Holland by Balthasar Gérard.
- 1778 - American Revolution: Louis XVI of France declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain.
- 1789 - Alexander Mackenzie reaches Mackenzie River Delta.
- 1821 - The United States takes possession of its newly-bought territory of Florida from Spain.
- 1832 - President Andrew Jackson vetoes a bill that would re-charter the Second Bank of the United States.
- 1850 - Millard Fillmore is inaugurated as the 13th President of the United States.
- 1890 - Wyoming is admitted as the 44th U.S. state.
- 1913 - Death Valley, California hits 134 °F (~56.7 °C), which is the highest temperature recorded in the United States (as of 2003).
- 1925 - The Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union (TASS), the official news agency of the Soviet Union , is established.
- 1925 - Scopes Trial: In Dayton, Tennessee, the so-called "Monkey Trial" begins with John T. Scopes, a young high school science teacher, accused of teaching evolution in violation of a Tennessee state law.
- 1938 - Howard Hughes sets a new record by completing a 91 hour airplane flight around the world.
- 1940 - World War II: Vichy France government established.
- 1940 - World War II: Battle of Britain - The German Luftwaffe begin to hit British convoys in the English Channel thus starting the battle (this start date is contested, though).
- 1943 - World War II: The launching of Operation Husky begins the Italian Campaign.
- 1951 - Korean War: At Kaesong, armistice negotiations begin.
- 1951 - Randy Turpin becomes the middleweight boxing champion after defeating Sugar Ray Robinson.
- 1962 - Telstar, the world's first communications satellite, is launched into orbit.
- 1967 - Uruguay becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
- 1968 - Maurice Couve de Murville becomes Prime Minister of France
- 1973 - The Bahamas gain full independence within the British Commonwealth.
- 1978 - ABC News World News Tonight premieres.
- 1985 - Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior is bombed and sunk in Auckland, New Zealand Harbor by French DGSE agents.
- 1985 - In response to market demand, Coca-Cola re-introduces it's old formula cola as "Coca-Cola Classic" (see New Coke).
- 1991 - Boris Yeltsin begins his 5-year term as the first elected President of Russia.
- 1992 - In Miami, Florida, former Panamanian leader Manuel Noriega is sentenced to 40 years in prison for drug and racketeering violations.
- 1997 - London, scientists report their DNA analysis findings from a Neandertal skeleton which support the out of Africa theory of human evolution placing an "African Eve" at 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.
- 1998 - The remains of United States Air Force 1st Lt. Michael Joseph Blassie are returned to his family in St. Louis, Missouri from the Tomb of the Unknowns upon identification through DNA analysis. The remains had been in the first tomb since 1984.
- 1998 - Catholic priests' sex abuse scandal: The Diocese of Dallas agrees to pay $23.4 million to nine former altar boys who claimed they were sexually abused by former priest Rudolph Kos.
- 2000 - A leaking southern Nigerian petroleum pipeline explodes, killing about 250 villagers scavenging gasoline.
- 2000 - EADS, the world's second largest aerospace group is formed by the merger of Aérospatiale-Matra, DASA, and CASA.
- 2002 - At a Sotheby's auction, Peter Paul Rubens' painting "The Massacre of the Innocents" is sold for £49.5million (US$76.2 million) to Lord Kenneth Thomson.
- 2003 - A Neoplan bus, owned by Kowloon Motor Bus, collides with a truck, falls off a bridge on Tuen Mun Road, Hong Kong, and plunges into the underlying valley, killing 21 people. This is the deadliest bus accident to date in Hong Kong.

Births


- 1419 - Emperor Go-Hanazono of Japan (d. 1471)
- 1452 - King James III of Scotland (d. 1488)
- 1509 - John Calvin, French religious reformer (d. 1564)
- 1592 - Pierre d'Hozier, French historian (d. 1660)
- 1614 - Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey, English royalist statesman (d. 1686)
- 1625 - Jean Herauld Gourville, French adventurer (d. 1703)
- 1638 - David Teniers III, Flemish painter (d. 1685)
- 1666 - John Ernest Grabe, German-born Anglican theologian (d. 1711)
- 1682 - Roger Cotes, English mathematician (d. 1716)
- 1723 - William Blackstone, English jurist (d. 1780)
- 1830 - Camille Pissarro, French painter (d. 1903)
- 1832 - Alvan Graham Clark, American telescope maker and astronomer (d. 1897)
- 1834 - James McNeil Whistler, American painter (d. 1903)
- 1835 - Henryk Wieniawski, Polish composer (d. 1880)
- 1842 - Adolphus Busch, German-born brewer (d. 1913)
- 1856 - Nikola Tesla, Croatian physicist (d. 1943)
- 1871 - Marcel Proust, French writer (d. 1922)
- 1888 - Giorgio de Chirico, Italian painter (d. 1978)
- 1895 - Carl Orff, German composer (d. 1982)
- 1899 - John Gilbert, American actor (d. 1936)
- 1902 - Kurt Alder, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1958)
- 1903 - John Wyndham, British author (d. 1969)
- 1914 - Joe Shuster, Canadian-born cartoonist
- 1920 - David Brinkley, American television reporter (d. 2003)
- 1920 - Owen Chamberlain, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1921 - Harvey Ball, American inventor (d. 2001)
- 1921 - Jake LaMotta, American boxer
- 1921 - Eunice Kennedy Shriver, American activist
- 1923 - Earl Hamner Jr., American author and television producer
- 1923 - Jean Kerr, American author (d. 2003)
- 1925 - Mahathir bin Mohamad, Malaysian fourth Prime Minister
- 1926 - Fred Gwynne, American actor (d. 1993)
- 1928 - Moshe Greenberg, American-Israeli Bible scholar
- 1931 - Nick Adams, American actor (d. 1968)
- 1931 - Alice Munro, Canadian writer
- 1934 - Olga Sebenik, Slovenian economist
- 1938 - Paul Andreu, French architect
- 1939 - Ahmet Taner Kışlalı, Turkish politician, journalist, and educator (d. 1999)
- 1940 - Helen Donath, American soprano
- 1942 - Ronnie James Dio, American musician
- 1942 - Pyotr Klimuk, cosmonaut
- 1943 - Arthur Ashe, American tennis player (d. 1993)
- 1945 - Virginia Wade, British tennis player
- 1946 - Sue Lyon, American actress
- 1947 - Arlo Guthrie, American musician
- 1951 - Cheryl Wheeler, American singer and songwriter
- 1954 - Neil Tennant, British musician
- 1959 - Janet Julian, American actress
- 1968 - Hassiba Boulmerka, Algerian athlete
- 1969 - Gale Harold, American actor
- 1980 - Thomas Ian Nicholas, American actor
- 1980 - Adam Petty, American race car driver (d. 2000)
- 1980 - Jessica Simpson, American singer
- 1982 - Alex Arrowsmith, American musician

Deaths


- 138 - Hadrian, Roman Emperor (b. 76)
- 1099 - El Cid, of Castile (b. 1044)
- 1103 - King Eric I of Denmark
- 1298 - King Ladislaus IV of Hungary (b. 1262)
- 1460 - Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham, English military leader (b. 1402)
- 1480 - King René I of Naples (b. 1410)
- 1559 - King Henry II of France (b. 1519)
- 1584 - William I of Orange (b. 1533)
- 1590 - Archduke Charles II of Austria (b. 1540)
- 1594 - Paolo Bellasio, Italian composer (b. 1554)
- 1621 - Karel Bonaventura Buquoy, French soldier (b. 1571)
- 1653 - Gabriel Naudé, French librarian and scholar (b. 1600)
- 1680 - Louis Moréri, French encyclopedist (b. 1643)
- 1683 - François-Eudes de Mézeray, French historian (b. 1610)
- 1686 - John Fell, English churchman (b. 1625)
- 1776 - Richard Peters, English-born clergyman (b. 1704)
- 1806 - George Stubbs, British painter (b. 1724)
- 1884 - Paul Morphy, American chess player (b. 1837)
- 1908 - Phoebe Knapp, American hymn writer (b. 1839)
- 1920 - Jackie Fisher, British admiral (b. 1841)
- 1941 - Jelly Roll Morton, American musician (b. 1890)
- 1978 - John D Rockefeller III, American businessman (b. 1906)
- 1978 - Joe Davis, English snooker player (b. 1901)
- 1979 - Arthur Fiedler, American conductor (b. 1894)
- 1987 - John Hammond, American record producer (b. 1910)
- 1989 - Mel Blanc, American voice actor (b. 1908)
- 2003 - Winston Graham, English writer (b. 1908)
- 2003 - Hartley Shawcross, British prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trials (b. 1902)
- 2005 - A.J. Quinnell, English writer (b. 1940)
- 2005 - Freda Wright-Sorce, American radio performer (b. 1955)
- 2005 - Freddy Soto, American comedian and actor (b. 1970)

Holidays and observances


- Bahamas - Independence Day
- Silence Day - celebrated by followers of Meher Baba
- Mauritania - Armed Forces Day
- Ancient Latvia - Septinu Bralu Diena observed
- New Zealand - Rainbow Warrior Commemmoration

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/10 BBC: On This Day] ---- July 9 - July 11 - June 10 - August 10 -- listing of all days ko:7월 10일 ms:10 Julai ja:7月10日 simple:July 10 th:10 กรกฎาคม

Virtuoso

A virtuoso (from the Latin virtus meaning: skill, manliness, excellence) is an individual who possesses outstanding mechanical ability at operating a musical instrument. The plural form is virtuosi. Virtuosi are often musical composers as well. During the age of Baroque music many, if not most, composers were also virtuosi on their respective instruments. An inevitable discussion surrounding virtuosi is whether the mere skillful operation of an instrument constitutes art. For most people, this is a matter of taste and will likely remain a point of contention in the future. This argument arises often when the topic is guitar virtuosi. Often conflicting is the idea of a guitarist being a virtuoso because of the speed at which he or she can play (For example, Joe Satriani or Steve Vai), or being a virtuoso because of their ability to write intricate and complex songs that appeal to a very large audience (Ie David Gilmour or Jimmy Page). In the April 2005 issue of Guitar World, Zakk Wylde said someone is a virtuoso if "you can tell who the player is after hearing just two notes..."

Pianist

:This article deals with those who play the piano. For other uses, see pianist (disambiguation). A pianist is a person who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an orchestra or smaller ensemble, or accompany one or more singers or solo instrumentalists. A performing classical pianist usually starts playing piano at a very young age, some as early as three years old. Many well-known classical composers were capable pianists themselves; for example, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Frederic Chopin, Robert Schumann, and Sergei Rachmaninoff were all virtuoso pianists. Most pianists, to some degree, specialize in performing the music of either certain composers or certain periods. Most western forms of music can make use of the piano. Consequently, pianists have a wide variety of forms and styles to choose from, including jazz, classical music, and all sorts of popular music. Below is a list of well-known or influential pianists of different genres.

Classical pianists

See also List of classical pianists.
- Martha Argerich
- Claudio Arrau
- Alfred Brendel
- Alfred Cortot
- Georges Cziffra
- Ignaz Friedman
- Emil Gilels
- Glenn Gould
- Josef Hofmann
- Vladimir Horowitz
- Byron Janis
- Wilhelm Kempff
- Josef Lhevinne
- Dinu Lipatti
- Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli
- Benno Moiseiwitsch
- Ignace Paderewski
- Sergei Rachmaninoff
- Sviatoslav Richter
- Anton Rubinstein
- Artur Rubinstein
- Artur Schnabel
- Steve Swayne
- Krystian Zimerman

Pop music pianists


- Tori Amos
- Richard Clayderman
- Vanessa Carlton
- Jo Ann Castle
- Nick Cave
- Russ Conway
- Gavin DeGraw
- Ben Folds
- Billy Joel
- Elton John
- Norah Jones
- Rickie Lee Jones
- Alicia Keys
- Oksana Kolesnikova
- Jamie Short
- Liberace
- Barry Manilow
- Joni Mitchell
- Laura Nyro
- Brenda Russell
- Peter Skellern

Jazz pianists

See List of jazz pianists.

Blues pianists


- Ray Charles also jazz, and country music
- Fats Domino
- Little Willie Littlefield
- Professor Longhair
- Jimmy Yancey
- Otis Spann See the List of boogie woogie musicians for more blues players.

Country pianists


- Owen Bradley, also a record producer
- Floyd Cramer, "Last Date"
- Mickey Gilley, cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis and Jimmy Swaggart
- Jerry Lee Lewis, also rock and roll
- Ronnie Milsap
- Moon Mullican, "I'll Sail My Ship Alone"
- Charlie Rich
- Hargus "Pig" Robbins, legendary session player
- Fred Rose, also a music publisher
- Del Wood, "Down Yonder"

Other genres


- Maksim Mrvica Well known gospel or contemporary Christian pianists include:
- Keith Green
- Jimmy Swaggart
- Luke Ferdinand V
- Richard Clayderman, commercially-oriented contemporary pianist who also features recordings of classical composers. Category:Classical musicians by instrument ko:피아니스트 ja:ピアニスト

Composer

A composer is a person who writes music. The term refers particularly to someone who writes music in some type of musical notation, thus allowing others to perform the music. This distinguishes the composer from a musician who improvises. However, a person may be called a composer without creating music in documentary form, since not all musical genres rely on written notation. In this context, the composer is the originator of the music, and usually its first performer. Later performers then repeat the musical composition they have heard. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians also varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music. For example, in the development of classical music in Europe, the function of composing music initially had no greater importance than the function of performing music. The preservation of individual compositions received little attention, and musicians generally had no qualms about modifying compositions for performance. Over time, however, the written notation of the composer has come to be treated as strict instructions, from which performers should not deviate without good reason. This notion is often seen as a purist one. The term "composer" is often used specifically to mean a composer in the Western tradition of classical music. In popular and folk music, the composer is typically called a songwriter (since the music generally takes the form of a song.)

Lists of composers


- List of composers
- List of opera composers
- List of uncategorized composers
- List of soundtrack composers

By style, time period, or technique


- List of classical music composers
- List of 20th century classical composers
- List of 21st century classical composers
- List of modernist composers

By nationality, culture, or identity


- List of French composers
- List of Dutch and Flemish composers
- List of Indonesian composers
- List of Italian composers
- List of Russian composers
- List of Polish composers
- List of Indian composers
- List of female composers
- List of gay, lesbian or bisexual composers
- List of composers of African descent

By chronology


- [http://members.chello.nl/epzachte/Wikipedia/EasyTimeline/Introduction.htm Timeline of classical composers] Category:Classical music Composers Category:Occupations in music ko:작곡가 ja:作曲家 th:คีตกวี

Creole

:For the languages, see Creole language The term Creole is used with different meanings in different contexts, which can generate confusion. Generally it refers to a people or a culture that is distinctive or local to a region, but with various additional shades of meaning.

Latin American Creole

In most of Latin America Creole (Spanish, criollo, Portuguese, crioulo) generally refers to people of Spanish or Portuguese descent born in the New World with no Indian or black ancestry. In Brazil, though, the word is a pejorative slang for a black individual. Throughout the colonial history of Latin America, the Spanish caste system made distinction between criollos and the higher-ranking and governing peninsulares, despite both being of Spanish ancestry — the only distinction being that the latter were born on the Iberian Peninsula, hence the name. This formed a discontented criollo underclass that, together with the support of the other decreasing-in-rank underclasses — castizo, mestizo, mulatto, amerindian, zambo and black — impelled the Mexican War of Independence (1810–1821) and the South American Wars of Independence (1810–1825) against Spain, culminating in the establishment of republics throughout the former Spanish Empire. In Brazil, a very different process occurred, independence largely being granted without major war, and the relationship between unmixed Portuguese, i.e., with no Indian or black ancestry and mestiços kept mostly peaceful. Unlike in Spanish America, a Brazilian monarchy directly connected to the Portuguese monarchy was established. Those unmixed Portuguese born in Portugal living in Brazil were deemed galegos (literally Galicians, in reference to the northern Portuguese origin of most, but also used on those born in south Portugal).

"Filipino" Creoles

During the colonial era of the Philippines, the term "Filipino" served the same purpose as the term "Criollo" in Latin America. "Filipino" there implied an unmixed Spaniard born in the Philippines. "Insulares" (i.e. [Spaniards] of the [Philippine] Islands) had a synonymous meaning with "Filipino". Those Spaniards that were born in Europe, as in Latin America, were called "Peninsulares (i.e. [Spaniards] of the [Iberian] Peninsula). The term "Filipino" drastically changed in meaning when during the Philippine Revolution it was taken by nationalistic natives off the governing Spanish and Spanish-mestizo minority, and transformed into a national designation that encompassed any person of the Philippines, this included the native majority. Today, "Filipino" stands for the exact opposite of its colonial meaning, and is now used in reference for the population majority, the unmixed native Malayans of the archipelago. Ironically, it now somewhat excludes the 1% mixed Spanish-descended minority (Spanish-mestizos) who are seen, and often regard themselves, as foreigners. The population of Spanish-mestizos (native Malay and Spanish/Mexican) in the Philippines has never accounted for more than 1% of the demographics of the Philippines. Meanwhile, numbers of creoles have always accounted for even fewer than the Spanish-mestizos, and today number only 17,000 (0.02%) amid a population of native Filipinos not far from 90 million.

New Orleans and Louisiana Creole

In this context the word refers to people of any race or mixture thereof who are descended from settlers in Louisiana before it became part of the USA in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase, or to the culture and cuisine typical of these people. Some writers from other parts of the USA have mistakenly assumed the term to refer only to people of mixed racial descent, but this is not the traditional Louisiana usage. In fact some locals, especially those of pure Spanish and French Creole descent, have often argued that the traditional usage excluded African lineage. However, Colonial era documents show that a broader usage of the term was already common by the late 18th century, with references to "free Creoles of Color" and even to slaves of pure African descent born in Louisiana as "Creole slaves". It is now accepted that Creole is a broad cultural group of people of all races who share a French or Spanish background. Louisianans who identify themselves as "Creole" are most commonly from historically Francophone communities with some ancestors who came to Louisiana either directly from France or via the French colonies in the Caribbean; those descended from the Acadians of French Canada are more likely to identify themselves as Cajun than Creole. Creole is still used to identify a person of Spanish, French, or African origin. Whites, Blacks, Indians, and those of mixed race can all be creole. A definition from the earliest history in New Orleans; ie, circa 1718; is: a child born in the colony as opposed to France. The definition became more codified after the United States took control of the city and Louisiana, 1803. The Creoles, by that time included the Spanish ruling class, who ruled from the mid-1700s until 1800. By 1850, however, after many years of pejorative slights by the new "American" émigrés, the term included, in a more common way, persons of different and/or mixed ethnicities and races. For example, early German immigrants, who settled along the “German Coast” of the Mississippi River above New Orleans, were referred to as Creole. By 1850, the French and Spanish Creoles lost political power, and the term became increasingly inclusive of anyone or anything from the city; eg, people, animals, architecture, etc. Because of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina, many Creole people fear the extinction of their culture and unique community. Having been forced to evacuate New Orleans, and settle temporarily (and perhaps permanently) elsewhere throughout the United States, it is unclear whether enough will return to a rebuilt New Orleans to continue their ethnic and cultural traditions.[http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/11/national/11creole.html?8hpib=&pagewanted=all]

Alaska Creole

People of mixed Native American (esp. Alaskan) and European (esp. Russian) ancestry. The intermingling of promyshleniki men and Aleut women in the late 18th century gave rise to a people who assumed a prominent position in the economy of fur trading in the northern Pacific...

Portuguese Creole

People of mixed Portuguese and native ancestry that Portuguese had contact since the 15th century, and who spoke a Portuguese Creole language. Mixed Portuguese and African ancestry.
- Guinea-Bissau Creole (Crioulo)
- Ziguinchor Creole (Fijus di Terra, Fijus di Fidalgu, Portuguis)
- Capeverdian Creole (Crioulo)
- São Tomean Creole (Crioulo, Forro) Mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry.
- Chinese Creole (Filhos di Macau, Macanese)
- Malay Creole (Portuguese-Malay, Gente Kristang or Cristão)
- Indian Creole (Portuguese-Indian)
- Sri Lanka Creole (Portuguese Burgher) People of mixed Portuguese and Native ancestry that the Portuguese had contact with since the 15th century but who didn't speak a Portuguese creole are known as mulatos, mestiços, caboclos and pardos.
- Angolan mulato or mestiço
- Mozambican mulato or mestiço
- Brazilian mulato, mestiço, caboclo or pardo See also: Portuguese Creole

Caribbean creole

In the Caribbean region the term creole is used to describe anyone, regardless of race or ethnicity, who was born and raised in the region. It also refers to the syncretism of the various cultures (African, French, British and Spanish among others) which influenced the area. This is also referred to as the creolization of society "due to its ability to suggest some of the complex sociocultural issues also involved in the process".(Manuel, p. 14) Linguistically speaking, it denotes the evolution of the blending of two or more languages to form a distinct new language that becomes the primary language of future generations. In Reunion island and Mauritius, in the Indian ocean, the term denotes someone whose ancestry is so mixed that they don't belong to the other categories (small white, big white, pakistani, indian, chinese, and so on). Reunionese creole language (bourbonnais) derives from French, with very few foreign terms, and a highly idiosyncratic development. The same thing applies to Mauritian Creole language, which has more or less the same historical origin as Reunionese creole.

References


- Manuel, Peter (1995) Caribbean Currents: Caribbean Music From Rumba to Reggae Philadelphia: Temple University Press ISBN 1-56639-339-6

External links


- [http://www.frenchcreoles.com Frenchcreoles.com] A website focusing on the French Creoles of Louisiana
- [http://www.nsula.edu/creole/ Creole Heritage Center]
- [http://kiskeyacity.blogspot.com/2005/10/what-exactly-is-creole_04.html kiskeyAcity blog entry: "What exactly is a Creole?"]
- [http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/1781/ Avoyelles Parish Creoles] Category:Ethnic groups ja:クレオール

New Orleans, Louisiana

:For information on the events of Hurricane Katrina, see effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. New Orleans (local pronunciations: , , or ) (French: La Nouvelle-Orléans, pronounced Image:ltspkr.png in standard French accent) is a major U.S. port city and historically the largest city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in southeastern Louisiana along the Mississippi River, just south of Lake Pontchartrain, and is coextensive with Orleans Parish.

Overview

The city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent civil engineering failure which resulted in massive flooding in August 2005. As of mid December 2005, efforts continue to aid survivors, clean up debris, and restore infrastructure. While most of the city has reopened to residents and areas which suffered moderate damage have substantially resumed functioning, other parts of town most severely damaged such as some neighborhoods of the 9th Ward are open only during daylight hours for residents to salvage items from their formerly flooded homes. New Orleans is a Southern city known for its multicultural heritage (especially French, Spanish and African American influences) and its music and cuisine. It is a world-famous tourist destination thanks to its many festivals and celebrations; the most notable annual events are Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday"), Jazz Fest,Voodoo Fest, Southern Decadence, and college football's Sugar Bowl. The most recent U.S. census put New Orleans's population at 484,674 and the population of Greater New Orleans at 1,337,726. Due to the evacuation of the city before and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the population as of late 2005 is significantly less; a Time Magazine article with a publication date of 28 November 2005 (written weeks before) estimated the city's population at about 100,000. But now that the city's population is trickling back in to see if they will be able to repair their homes or move someplace else. The population, as of December 12th, is estimated at about 140,000 New Orleans was founded by the French in 1718 and has played an important role in the history of the United States. The city was named in honor of Philip II, Duke of Orléans, who was regent and ruler of France when the city was founded. This is comparable to the naming of New York City in honor of James, Duke of York, heir to the throne of England. It is a major port city due to its location near the Gulf of Mexico and along the Mississippi River, making it a hub for goods which travel to and from Latin America. The petroleum industry is also of great importance to the New Orleans economy; many oil rigs are located in the Gulf. The Port of South Louisiana (which includes the port of N.O.) is based in the New Orleans metropolitan area and is the fourth largest port in the world in terms of raw tonnage, and among the largest U.S. ports for several major commodities, including cement and coffee. The city's several nicknames describe various characteristics of the city, including the "Crescent City" (describing its shape around the Mississippi River), "The Big Easy" (a reference by musicians to the relative ease of finding work in the city), and "The City that Care Forgot" (associated with the easy going, carefree nature of many of the local residents). The city's unofficial motto, "Laissez les bons temps rouler" ("Let the good times roll") describes the party-like attitude of many residents. The city's name is often abbreviated NOLA. Residents of the city are referred to as New Orleanians.

History

Main article: History of New Orleans

Colonial era

History of New Orleans The place was first discovered by Spanish conqueror Alonso Alvarez de Pineda in 1518 along with the Mississippi River, which was named "Espiritu Santo" river. New Orleans was founded in 1718 by the French as La Nouvelle-Orléans, under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. The site was selected because it was a rare bit of natural high ground along the flood-prone banks of the lower Mississippi, and was adjacent to a Native American trading route and portage between the Mississippi and Lake Pontchartrain via Bayou St. John (known to natives as Bayou Choupique). A community of French fur trappers and traders had existed along the bayou (in what is now the middle of New Orleans) for at least a decade before the official founding of the city. Nouvelle-Orléans became the capital of French Louisiana in 1722, replacing Biloxi. In 1763, the colony was ceded to the Spanish Empire and remained under Spanish control for 40 years. The Great Fire of 1788 destroyed many of the existing structures in the city (800 houses were destroyed), which were made of wood. As a result of this, and a subsequent fire in 1795 (another 200 houses destroyed), much of 18th century architecture still present in the French Quarter was built under Spanish rule and demonstrates Spanish colonial characteristics, wood was replaced with bricks. The three most impressive buildings of New Orleans come from the Spanish times: St. Louis Cathedral, the Cabildo and the Presbytere. In 1795, Spain granted the United States "Right of Deposit" in New Orleans, allowing Americans to use the city's port facilities. Louisiana reverted to French control in 1801 after Napoleon re-acquired the territory from Spain by treaty. But in 1803, Napoleon sold Louisiana (which then included portions of more than a dozen present-day states) to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase. At this time the city of New Orleans had a population of about 10,000.

19th century

In its early days it was noted for its cosmopolitan polyglot population and mixture of cultures. The city grew rapidly, with influxes of Americans, French and Creole French, many of the latter fleeing from the revolution in Haiti. During the War of 1812 the British sent a force to try to conquer the city, but they were defeated by forces led by Andrew Jackson some miles down river from the city at Chalmette, Louisiana on January 8, 1815 (commonly known as the Battle of New Orleans). Battle of New Orleans The population of the city doubled in the 1830s, and by 1840 the city's population was around 102,000, fourth-largest in the U.S, the largest city away from the Atlantic seaboard, as well as the largest in the South after Baltimore. However, population growth was at times plagued by yellow fever epidemics, such as the great scourge of 1853 that killed nearly 10,000 people in New Orleans. New Orleans was the capital of the state of Louisiana until 1849, then again from 1865 to 1880. As a principal port it had a leading role in the slave trade, while at the same time having North America's largest community of free persons of color. Early in the American Civil War it was captured by the Union (by David Farragut -son of Spanish emigrants- later named the first US Navy Vice-Admiral) without a battle, and hence was spared the destruction suffered by many other cities of the American South. It was the first captured city in the American South. It retains a historical flavor with a wealth of 19th century structures far beyond the early colonial city boundaries of the French Quarter. The city hosted the 1884 World's Fair, called the World Cotton Centennial. An important attraction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was the famous red light district called Storyville.

20th century

Storyville Storyville Storyville Much of the city is located below sea level between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, so the city is surrounded by levees. Until the early 20th century, construction was largely limited to the slightly higher ground along old natural river levees and bayous, since much of the rest of the land was swampy and subject to frequent flooding. This gave the 19th century city the shape of a crescent along a bend of the Mississippi, the origin of the nickname The Crescent City. In the 1910s engineer and inventor A. Baldwin Wood enacted his ambitious plan to drain the city, including large pumps of his own design which are still used. All rain water must be pumped up to the canals which drain into Lake Pontchartrain. Wood's pumps and drainage allowed the city to expand greatly in area. However, pumping of groundwater from underneath the city has resulted in subsidence. The subsidence greatly increased the flood risk, should the levees be breached or precipitation be in excess of pumping capacity (as was the case in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina). There were many warnings in the late 20th century that a major hurricane or a Mississippi flood could create a lake in the central city as much as 9 m (30 ft) deep, which could take months to pump dry.This warning was augmented by vestigial fears from Hurricane Betsy, and the lasting stories of the Army Corps of Engineers blasting the flooding levees, drowning the poorer neighborhoods of the lower ninth Ward. The Holy Cross Neighborhood Association, (HCNA) respresenting a substantial group of the aforementioned lower ninth ward, created a lobby against the Army Corps of Engineers furthering work on the levees which might endanger the neighborhoods. The HCNA sent Jamal Morelli, activist and New Orleans artist, to respresent them in Washington, D.C. Jamal Morelli's struggle for the neighborhood was successful in protecting the lower ninth ward. (2000-2004) In 1905 Yellow Fever was reported in the city, which had suffered under repeated epidemics of the disease in the previous century. As the role of mosquitos in spreading the disease was newly understood, the city embarked on a massive campain to drain, screen, or oil all cisterns and standing water (breeding ground for mosquitos) in the city and educate the public on their vital role in preventing mosquitos. The effort was a success and the disease was stopped before reaching epidemic proportions. President Theodore Roosevelt visited the city to demonstrate the safety of New Orleans. The city has had no cases of Yellow Fever since. New Orleans was hit by major storms in the 1909 Atlantic hurricane season and the 1915 Atlantic hurricane season. In the 1920s an effort to "modernize" the look of the city removed the old cast-iron balconies from Canal Street, the city's commercial hub. In the 1960s another "modernization" effort replaced the Canal Streetcar Line with buses. Both of these moves came to be regarded as mistakes long after the fact, and the streetcars returned to a portion of Canal Street at the end of the 1990s, and construction to restore the entire line was completed in April 2004. The suburbs saw great growth in the second half of the 20th century; the largest suburb today is Metairie, which borders New Orleans to the west. Metairie is not incorporated and is a part of Jefferson Parish. Much of the city flooded in September of 1947 due to the 1947 Fort Lauderdale Hurricane. In 1965 the city was damaged by Hurricane Betsy, with catastrophic flooding of the city's Lower 9th Ward. While long one of the USA's most-visited cities, tourism boomed in the last quarter of the 20th century, becoming a major force in the local economy. Areas of the French Quarter and Central Business District which were long oriented towards local residential and business uses switched to largely catering to the domestic and international tourist industry. A century after the Cotton Centennial Exhibition, New Orleans hosted another World's Fair, the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition. The city experienced severe flooding in the May 8th 1995 Louisiana Flood when heavy rains suddenly dumped over a foot of water on parts of town faster than the pumps could remove the water.

21st Century (Hurricane Katrina)

May 8th 1995 Louisiana Flood :Main article: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans The city suffered from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall on August 29, 2005 on the gulf coast near the city. Mayor Nagin issued a mandatory evacuation of the entire city, the first such order ever issued in New Orleans. Many residents chose to stay or were stranded in the city by a lack of available transportation. The eye of the storm passed within 10 to 15 miles of New Orleans, bringing strong winds that downed trees, shattered windows, and hurled debris around the area. Heavy rains and flooding immediately affected the eastern areas of the city. The situation worsened on August 30 when levees along three canals which drain into were breached. These canals were the 17th Street Canal, the Industrial Canal, and the London Avenue Canal. As much as 80% of the city, much of which is below sea level, flooded, with water reaching a depth of 25 feet (7.6 meters) in some areas. As of November 2005, The Times Picayune article states that there are in addition to those 1,050 confirmed deaths 5,000 missing residents of the city. Early estimates of the cost of physical damage from the storm have exceeded 100 billion USD. Subsequent investigations showed that the levee failures which flooded the majority of the city were the result of what has been called "the largest civil engineering disaster in the history of the United States" [http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-4/1133336859287360.xml] The city government declared the city off-limits to residents while clean-up efforts began and warned that those remaining could be removed by force, for their health and safety. On September 15, several of the suburban towns started allowing residents to return. The mayor announced a "phased repopulation" plan to start bringing residents of the city back in the next two weeks. Concern about the fragility of the city's flood defences and transportation caused repopulation efforts to be postponed due to Hurricane Rita. [http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/15/katrina.impact/index.html]. New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward was reflooded when a storm surge from Rita overcame one of the repaired levees on the Industrial Canal [http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5300327,00.html]. By October 1, parts of the city accounting for about one-third of the population of New Orleans had been reopened, including the French Quarter.[http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/10/01/katrina.recovery.ap/index.html] As of October 1, only 5% of the city remained underwater.

Geography and climate

October 1 New Orleans is located at (29.964722, -90.070556) on the banks of the Mississippi River, approximately 100 miles upriver from the Gulf of Mexico at 30.07°N, 89.93°W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 907.0 km² (350.2 mi²). 467.6 km² (180.6 mi²) of it is land and 439.4 km² (169.7 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 48.45% water. The city is located in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, between the Mississippi River in the south and Lake Pontchartrain in the north. The area along the river is characterized by ridges and hollows. Fields atop the ridges along the river are referred to as the "frontlands." The land contour slopes away from the frontlands to the "backlands", comprised of clay and silt. The Mississippi Delta, at the mouth of the Mississippi River, covers about 13,000 square miles (about 1/4 of Louisiana) and consists of silt deposited by the river, and is the most fertile area of Louisiana. The city of New Orleans actually contains the lowest point in the state of Louisiana, and one of the lowest points in the United States, after Death Valley and the Salton Sea. Much of the city is actually located between 1 and 10 feet (0.3 to 3 m) below sea level, and as such, is very prone to flooding. Some 45% of the city is above sea level; these higher areas were developed before 1900; the lowest areas only being developed more recently. Rainwater is continually pumped out of the city and into Lake Pontchartrain across a series of canals lined by levees and dikes. Before the 20th century pumping system, if it rains more than 1 inch, or more recently if there is a major storm surge, such as that caused by a hurricane, greater flooding can occur. Because of the city's high water table most of the cemeteries in the city use above ground crypts as opposed to underground burial. The New Orleans Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the 39th largest in the United States, includes the Louisiana parishes of Orleans (contiguous with the city of New Orleans), Jefferson, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. Tammany.

Cityscape

St. Tammany The Central Business District of New Orleans is located immediately north and west of the Mississippi River, and is historically called the "American Quarter." Most streets in this area fan out from a central point in the city. Major streets of the area include Canal Street and Poydras St. The term "downtown" refers to those parts of town that are downriver from the central business district. "Uptown" refers to those parts of town that are upriver from the central business district. Parts of the city that are located downtown include the world famous French Quarter (most noted as the central tourist district, with its array of shops, bars, and nightclubs along Bourbon Street), Storyville (now defunct), Treme, Faubourg Marigny, Bywater, the 7th Ward, and the Lower 9th Ward. Parts of the city that are located uptown include the Garden District, the Irish Channel, the University District, Carrollton, Gert Town, Fontainebleau, and Broadmoor. Other major districts within the city include Bayou St. John, Mid City, Gentilly, Lakeview, Lakefront, New Orleans East, The upper 9th Ward and Algiers. Parishes located adjacent to the city of New Orleans include St. Tammany Parish to the northeast, St. Bernard Parish to the south, Plaquemines Parish to the southwest, and Jefferson Parish to the west. Jefferson Parish

Climate

The climate of New Orleans is subtropical, with mild winters and hot, humid summers. In January, morning lows average around 43 °F (6°C), and daily highs around 62°F (17°C). In July, lows average 74°F (23°C), and highs average 91°F (33°C). The lowest recorded temperature was 11.0°F (-11.6°C) on December 23, 1989. The highest recorded temperature was 102.0°F (38.9°C) on August 22, 1980. The average precipitation is 59.74 inches (1520 mm) annually. On rare occasions, snow will fall. Most recently, a trace of snow fell on Christmas in 2004, during the 2004 Christmas Eve Snowstorm. On December 25, a combination of rain, sleet, and snow fell on the city, leaving some bridges icy. Before that, the last white Christmas was in 1954, and brought 4.5 inches (110 mm). The last significant snowfall in New Orleans fell on December 22, 1989, when most of the city received 1 or 2 inches of snow.

People and culture

Demographics

:Note: Though many of those evacuated from New Orleans from circumstances relating to Hurricane Katrina have yet to return, the evacuees remain residents of the city. While medium-to-long term changes in population may be drastic, there is no way, short of speculation, to account for these effects. The U. S. Census figures presented here are the most recent; and verifiable. As of the census of 2000, there were 484,674 people, 188,251 households, and 112,950 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,036.4/km² (2,684.3/mi²). There were 215,091 housing units at an average density of 459.9/km² (1,191.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.25% African American, 28.05% White, 0.20% Native American, 2.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.93% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. 3.06% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The population of Greater New Orleans stood at 1,337,726 in 2000, placing it 35 amongst United States metropolitan areas. These population statistics are based on legal residents of the city. But due to the enourmous annual tourist flow, the amount of people inside the city at a given time, such as Mardi Gras season, tends to exceed these numbers sometimes by the hundreds of thousands. There were 188,251 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.8% were