The Frank Morgan Story

[Hardbopjazz]

This looks good.

 

 

Edited July 31, 2015 by Hardbopjazz

[jlhoots]

Looks like Grace Kelly in your photo. I'd like to see the film.

I know some have mixed feelings re: Frank. He was always pleasant to me when he was in Taos.

[chewy-chew-chew-bean-benitez]

my frank morgan story is i totally saw him with art farmer.  thats right.  art farmer & frank morgan, back together.  bass player andy simpkins of the 3sounds,  was it like central ave during the bebop days?  you godamn better believe it was.  didnt meet frank morgan and tell him how awesome his GNP record with machito is, but definetly went over with art farmer who said there totally was a monk band, with him and hank mobley, and yes they really did a steve allen show spot

[marcello]

Frank Morgan & Grace Kelly? They belong together. Two products of too much hype for 2nd (or 3rd) tier talent, if I may.

[JSngry]

 

[jlhoots]

Frank Morgan & Grace Kelly? They belong together. Two products of too much hype for 2nd (or 3rd) tier talent, if I may.

Ouch!!

[kh1958]

Nonsense, Frank Morgan was a fine player.

[Bill Nelson]

Atlanta, GA on Aug. 17, 1991 at Variety Playhouse:  the Frank Morgan quartet featuring George Cables.  Morgan was too sweet for words and his playing was cool and together.  His eyes twinkled as he blew kisses of gratitude as the audience of about 150 applauded his final number.

Note: the Variety is a converted movie house in Atlanta's hipster district called Little Five Points.  During the hot summer months of the 1990's the Variety would book jazz artists such as James Moody w/ Mike Longo, Phil Woods w/ Tommy Flanagan, and the regular groups led by Joshua Redman, Joe Lovano, and McCoy Tyner.  Often two or three co-promoters and backers per show were needed to help cover each band's guarantee and many shows didn't make it.  The Atlanta market is not supportive of real jazz and many promoters who tried it alone lost their shirts.        

[duaneiac]

I found the movie on DVD at the local library and watched it tonight.  It's a decent enough movie.  A central part of it is a memorial concert given at San Quentin with musicians like Ron Carter, George Cables and Grace Kelly.  Delfeayo Marsalis performed and narrated the story of Frank Morgan at that concert.  There are plenty of interviews with family, friends and fellow musicians and some archival interview clips with the subject himself.  I'd give it a B-.

[Larry Kart]

On 8/2/2015 at 6:22 PM, jlhoots said:

Ouch!!

Frank Morgan! A "bitcher and whiner" in the top class. I posted before about the time he time he berated the house rhythm section (Willie Pickens, Larry Grey, Wilbur Campbell) at the Jazz Showcase after the first set of the first night for no good reason at all, after which Willie, who grew up with Frank in Milwaukee, said that that's the way he always was -- adding that he thought it was because Frank had a deep fear of failure because his father had been very hard on him as a boy. BTW, Wilbur was far from happy to be spoken to that way.

[jlhoots]

10 minutes ago, Larry Kart said:

Frank Morgan! A "bitcher and whiner" in the top class. I posted before about the time he time he berated the house rhythm section (Willie Pickens, Larry Grey, Wilbur Campbell) at the Jazz Showcase after the first set of the first night for no good reason at all, after which Willie, who grew up with Frank in Milwaukee, said that that's the way he always was -- adding that he thought it was because Frank had a deep fear of failure because his father had been very hard on him as a boy. BTW, Wilbur was far from happy to be spoken to that way.

See my post in the vinyl thread today for a partially different experience. I bet you could name any number of other bitchers & whiners in the jazz field. 

Edited December 28, 2022 by jlhoots

[Ken Dryden]

On 8/3/2015 at 12:42 AM, Bill Nelson said:

Atlanta, GA on Aug. 17, 1991 at Variety Playhouse:  the Frank Morgan quartet featuring George Cables.  Morgan was too sweet for words and his playing was cool and together.  His eyes twinkled as he blew kisses of gratitude as the audience of about 150 applauded his final number.

Note: the Variety is a converted movie house in Atlanta's hipster district called Little Five Points.  During the hot summer months of the 1990's the Variety would book jazz artists such as James Moody w/ Mike Longo, Phil Woods w/ Tommy Flanagan, and the regular groups led by Joshua Redman, Joe Lovano, and McCoy Tyner.  Often two or three co-promoters and backers per show were needed to help cover each band's guarantee and many shows didn't make it.  The Atlanta market is not supportive of real jazz and many promoters who tried it alone lost their shirts.        

I missed this post from years ago. I remember a show around that time at Variety, but it was a duo with George Cables. They opened and closed with Cables' "Lullaby" and I was amazed at how soft Frank Morgan's sound was during this concert. I will have to see if I can find my ticket stub, but I am pretty sure that we are talking about the same show.

I was told a Frank Morgan story that bugged me. After he supposedly kicked his habit and he was on Methadone, Frank Morgan was supposedly no longer using drugs. Someone I knew gave a ride to the airport after a gig, was directed by Morgan to a certain address, where the driver witnessed him score and shoot up.

The worst unexplained bitching I ever experienced was during a recording session by Bob Wilber and Kenny Davern, produced by the host of the Atlanta Jazz Party, Phil Carroll. In the middle of the date, Davern started cussing up a storm as the rest of the musicians sat or stood quietly until he finally calmed down. Phil never said a word, but he never again invited Kenny Davern to play his jazz party, though Bob Wilber made several more appearances.