"Jazz History and Research." . . . . . . . . . "Philadelphia bassist Jymie Merritt is known primarily for his work with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers from 1958 to 1962. This thesis will provide a much- needed biographical overview of Merritt's career, and by doing so addresses connections to other broader topics in the study of jazz history, including the Philadelphia jazz scene which produced a number of influential hard bop musicians, Merritt's background as an electric bassist in rhythm and blues bands, and his later role as a leader, including his compositional use of a unique system of chord notation and how it relates to trends in jazz theory." . "Life and music of bassist Jymie Merritt" . "From jazz messenger to forerunner the life and music of bassist Jymie Merritt" . . "Biography" . . . . . . . .