Frank Morgan (musician)
Frank Morgan (born December 23, 1933 in Minneapolis , Minnesota , † December 14, 2007 ibid) was an American jazz musician ( alto saxophonist ) of hard bop .
Life
Frank Morgan grew up in Minnesota and began his career as a professional musician in the west coast bebop scene, but drug problems kept interrupting his career. His style is strongly influenced by Charlie Parker ; since the 1950s he recorded a large number of albums, including his debut with West Coast musicians Conte Candoli , Wardell Gray , Carl Perkins , Leroy Vinnegar and Lawrence Marable . In 1985 he made a comeback with the album Easy Living with Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins . In 1986 he performed with the trio of Cedar Walton and Johnny Coles in New York's Village Vanguard with a program of songs by Ellington, Monk, Parker and Jackie McLean ( Bebop Lives! ). His other recordings, which were made in the 1980s and 1990s, such as the 1987 album Major Changes on Contemporary Records with McCoy Tyner , Avery Sharpe and Louis Hayes or Reflections from 1989 with Joe Henderson , Bobby Hutcherson , Mulgrew Miller , Ron Carter and Al Foster . As a sideman, Morgan worked on recordings of Teddy Charles , Terry Gibbs , Milt Jackson , Kenny Clarke ( Telefunken Blues , 1955), most recently with his old friend Art Farmer from his time on the West Coast ( Central Avenue Reunion , 1989). Morgan suffered a stroke in 1998 but was able to continue his career.
Discographic notes
- Gene Norman Presents Frank Morgan ( GNP / Fresh Sound , 1955) with Wardell Gray , Conte Candoli , Howard Roberts , Carl Perkins , Wild Bill Davis
- Easy Living (OJC, 1985) with Cedar Walton , Tony Dumas , Billy Higgins
- Double Image (Contemporary, 1986) with George Cables
- Major Changes ( Contemporary , 1987) with McCoy Tyner , Avery Sharpe , Louis Hayes
- Yardbird Suite (OJc, 1988) with Mulgrew Miller , Ron Carter , Al Foster
- Reflections (OJC, 1989) with Joe Henderson , Bobby Hutcherson , Mulgrew Miller, Ron Carter, Al Foster
- Listen to the Dawn (Antilles, 1993) with Kenny Burrell , Ron Carter, Grady Tate
- Love, Lost and Found (Telarc, 1995) with Cedar Walton, Ray Brown , Billy Higgins
- Bop! (Telarc, 1996) with Ray Drummond , Curtis Lundy
- Frank Morgan & George Cables : Montreal Memories (rec. 1989, ed. 2018)
Web links
- All About Jazz interview
- New York Times review
- Frank Morgan at Discogs (English)
swell
- Ian Carr , Digby Fairweather , Brian Priestley : Rough Guide Jazz. The ultimate guide to jazz. 1800 bands and artists from the beginning until today. 2nd, expanded and updated edition. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 2004, ISBN 3-476-01892-X (English edition Rough Guides 2007, ISBN 1843532565 ).
- Richard Cook , Brian Morton : The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD . 6th edition. Penguin, London 2002, ISBN 0-14-051521-6 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Morgan, Frank |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American hard bop jazz musician (alto saxophonist) |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 23, 1933 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Minneapolis , Minnesota |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 14, 2007 |
| Place of death | Minneapolis , Minnesota |