For some reason I am in a Lee Morgan mood tonight. I have mentioned Morgan occasionally, but I don't think I have devoted a post to him. High time, squire! I got to know Morgan mostly from his work with the Jazz Messengers. I am very fond of his most popular album, Sidewinder, but I have said that Search for the New Land was his magnum opus. The Gigolo, an attempt to repeat the commercial success of Sidewinder, is worth a listen, as is Candy. I can also recommend The Young Lions.
Whenever I think of Morgan, I think of two things. One is that he recommend Wayne Shorter as a replacement for Benny Golson when Golson left the Messengers. That, I think, was a great contribution to modern jazz. The second thing is that Morgan's girlfriend/wife shot him through the heart at Slugg's jazz club in NYC in 1972. Morgan was 33. I wonder if she ever had any idea what she was putting a bullet into the heart of?
Morgan was a bit frustrated about his great success with Sidewinder. He thought his best work at the time was on Grachan Moncur III's Evolution. I concur. I blogged about Moncur recently. Having listened to a lot of Morgan tonight, his work on Evolution is more serious. Here is a sample:
Grachan Moncur III/Air Raid/Evolution.
And here is a sample from Morgan's 1957 album.
Lee Morgan/Since I For You/Candy
Enjoy. Purchase.
Yes, high time, squire. I have a Lee Morgan channel on Pandora and, while perhaps not my favorite, Live at the Lighthouse has a fairly constant place in the ever changing content of my iPod. I admit, though, I've never heard Evolution and wasn't aware of Moncur. Could be because I'm not a free jazz fan but what a lineup on that LP!
ReplyDeleteIf you haven't read it already, you might enjoy Tom Perchard's book, Lee Morgan: His Life, Music and Culture.
I keep drifting back to your great site every month or three - don't stop! I picked up your 'down-ness' and felt a bit guilty regarding a lack of feedback so apologies and thanks for the thoughtful posts. I also love Morgan (and yes, fully recommend Perchard's book). He still had much to give and his murder was a loss to jazz.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!
I came across this last night. You ask if she had any idea what she was putting a bullet into the heart of...
ReplyDeletehttps://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dw4w5qx_0gsjhqb
i'd like to think she did.