Frank Morgan (musician)

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Frank Morgan
Telarc, Antilles, HighNote

Frank Morgan (December 23, 1933 – December 14, 2007) was a

saxophonist with a career spanning more than 50 years.[1] He mainly played alto saxophone but also played soprano saxophone. He was known as a Charlie Parker successor who primarily played bebop and ballads.[2]

Biography

Early life (1933–1947)

Frank Morgan was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1933, but spent most of his childhood living with his grandmother in Milwaukee, Wisconsin while his parents were on tour. Morgan's father Stanley was a guitarist with Harlan Leonard and the Rockets and The Ink Spots, and his mother, Geraldine, was a 14-year-old student when she gave birth to him. Morgan took up his father's instrument at an early age, but lost interest the moment he saw Charlie Parker take his first solo with the Jay McShann band at the Paradise Theater in Detroit, Michigan. Stanley introduced them backstage, where Parker offered Morgan advice about starting out on the alto sax, and they met at a music store the following day. Morgan, seven years old at the time, assumed they'd be picking out a saxophone, but Parker suggested he start on the clarinet to develop his embouchure. Morgan practiced on the clarinet for about two years before acquiring a soprano sax, and finally, an alto. Morgan moved to live with his father (by that time divorced) in Los Angeles, California at the age of 14, after his grandmother caught him with marijuana.[3][4][5]

Los Angeles (1947–1955)

As a teenager Morgan had opportunities to jam with the likes of

West Hollywood on August 11, 1956, with a sextet featuring Bobby Timmons and Jack Sheldon. The album copy hailed Morgan as the new Charlie Parker, who had died the same year. In his own words, Morgan was "scared to death" by this and "self-destructed".[5][10]

Addiction and incarceration (1955–1985)

Following in the footsteps of Parker, Morgan had started taking heroin at 17, subsequently became addicted, and spent much of his adult life in and out of prison.

methadone daily.[6]

Comeback (1985–2007)

Fresh out of prison in April, 1985, Morgan started recording again, releasing Easy Living on

stroke in 1998, but subsequently recovered, recording and performing during the last nine years of his life.[14] HighNote Records eventually released three albums worth of material from a three-night stand at the Jazz Standard in New York City in November, 2003. Morgan also participated in the 2004 Charlie Parker Jazz Festival in Tompkins Square Park.[15]
In 2000, Morgan traveled to Taos, New Mexico for a two-night engagement. He fell in love with Taos and made it his home for the next five years. Whenever asked, he proudly proudly proclaimed, "My hometown is Taos, New Mexico".

After moving to Minneapolis in the fall of 2005, Morgan headlined the 2006

Yoshi's and Catalina's.[6][16] His last gig in Minneapolis featured Grace Kelly, Irv Williams, and Peter Schimke at the Dakota on July 1, 2007.[17]

For one of Morgan's final recordings, he composed and recorded music for the audiobook adaptation of Michael Connelly's crime novel The Overlook (2007), providing brief unaccompanied sax solos at the beginning and end of the book, and between chapters. Morgan is mentioned in the book by lead character Harry Bosch, a jazz enthusiast.

Shortly before his death, Morgan completed his first tour of Europe.[18]

Death

Frank Morgan died in Minneapolis on Friday, December 14, 2007, from complications due to colorectal cancer, nine days before his 74th birthday. A memorial service featuring members of Morgan's family and a performance by Irv Williams was held at the Artists' Quarter on Sunday, December 23.[18] Morgan's ashes are buried in the courtyard of the Historic Taos Inn (Taos, NM), marked by a plaque that reads "Peace & Love. Bebop Lives". His life in Taos is celebrated each November by the four-day Frank Morgan Taos Jazz Festival, since 2015. (https://www.taosjazz.org/frank-morgan-festival)

Legacy

Los Angeles Film Festival on June 14, 2014, and was followed the next day by a tribute concert at The Grammy Museum, featuring George Cables, Ron Carter, Mark Gross, Grace Kelly, and Roy McCurdy.[23][24][25]

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With Teddy Charles

  • Adventures in California (Fresh Sound Records, 1953)

With Kenny Clarke

With Art Farmer

With Terry Gibbs

  • The Latin Connection (Contemporary, 1986)

With Wardell Gray

  • Wardell Gray Memorial, Vol. 1 (Prestige, 1983) recorded in 1953

With Milt Jackson

With Abbey Lincoln

  • Who Used to Dance (Verve, 1996)

With Lyle Murphy

With Mark Murphy

  • Night Mood (Milestone, 1986)

With Ben Sidran

  • Mr. P's Shuffle (Go Jazz, 1996)

With L. Subramaniam

References

  1. All Media Network
    . Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  2. ^ Voce, Steve (15 December 2007). "Frank Morgan: Alto Saxophonist Protg of Charlie Parker Who Spent 30 Years behind Bars in San Quentin". The Independent.
  3. ^ a b c d Davis, Francis. Jazz and Its Discontents: A Francis Davis Reader. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo, 2004. Print.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Rubiner, Julia M. Contemporary Musicians. Profiles of the People in Music. Detroit, MI: Gale Research, 1993. Print.
  5. ^ a b c Reiter, Brandt (9 August 2004). "Frank Morgan". All About Jazz.
  6. ^ a b c d Anthony, Michael. "SAVED BY THE HORN - After spending half a lifetime on drugs and in prison, jazz great Frank Morgan found redemption in music - and a long-lost family in Minneapolis." Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN) 23 Jun. 2006, METRO, SCENE: 1F. NewsBank. Web. 20 Sep. 2013.
  7. ^ Meyers, Marc. "Teddy Charles (1928-2012)." 'JazzWax' 19 Apr. 2012. Web. 08 Aug. 2014.
  8. ^ "Teddy Charles Discography" Jazz Discography Project. Ed. Nobuaki Togashi, Kohji Matsubayashi, and Masayuki Hatta. Web. 08 Aug. 2014.
  9. ^ "Milt Jackson Discography" Jazz Discography Project. Ed. Nobuaki Togashi, Kohji Matsubayashi, and Masayuki Hatta. Web. 11 Aug. 2014.
  10. ^ Fitzgerald, Michael. "Frank Morgan Leader Entry." JazzDiscography.com, 02 Oct. 2011. Web. 12 Aug. 2014.
  11. National Public Radio (Interview). Interviewed by Marian McPartland
    .
  12. ^ Palmer, Rober (3 May 1987). "Jazz: The Alto Sax of Frank Morgan". The New York Times.
  13. ^ Holden, Stephen (26 November 1987). "Stage: Music from Prison". The New York Times.
  14. ^ a b Keepnews, Peter (19 December 2007). "Frank Morgan, Master of Bebop Sax, Dies at 73". The New York Times. p. A35.
  15. ^ Adler, David R. "Jazz Reviews: Charlie Parker Jazz Festival 2004." JazzTimes. Madavor Media, LLC, 23 Aug. 2004. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
  16. ^ Kabran, Michael. "Jazz Reviews: East Coast Jazz Festival 2006." JazzTimes, 22 Feb. 2006. Web. 01 Feb. 2014.
  17. ^ Bream, Jon. "the big gigs." Star Tribune: Newspaper of the Twin Cities (Minneapolis, MN) 29 Jun. 2007, METRO, SCENE: 6F. NewsBank. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
  18. ^ a b Raihala, Ross. "JAZZMAN FRANK MORGAN WILL BE REMEMBERED." St. Paul Pioneer Press (MN) 21 Dec. 2007, St. Paul, Main: A13. NewsBank. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
  19. ISSN 0272-572X
    .
  20. ISSN 0272-572X
    .
  21. ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2000). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. London: Penguin Books.
  22. ^ Bailey, C. Michael (16 March 2007). "Frank Morgan: Reflections (2007)". All About Jazz.
  23. ^ Peck, Claude (4 December 2013). "Bestseller Michael Connelly Making Frank Morgan Jazz Biopic". Star Tribune.
  24. ^ "Sound of Redemption: The Frank Morgan Story - 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival." 20th LA Film Fest. Web. 16 June 2014.
  25. ^ "Frank Morgan Tribute - 2014 Los Angeles Film Festival." 20th LA Film Fest. Web. 16 June 2014.

External links

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