Templejazz Posted July 29, 2003 Report Posted July 29, 2003 (edited) Please share your thoughts about Lee Morgan the composer. Some of my favorite tunes were penned by Mogie including Ceora, Yama from Blakey's A Night in Tunisia, and Haeschen, a very underrated ballad on the Taru album. What are some of your favorites? Edited July 29, 2003 by Templejazz Quote
catesta Posted July 29, 2003 Report Posted July 29, 2003 The Gigolo, Cornbread, and The Witch Doctor are among my favorites. Quote
Jim R Posted July 29, 2003 Report Posted July 29, 2003 "Ceora" is probably my favorite, but I also love "Bess" from "Here's Lee Morgan" on Vee Jay. Quote
bertrand Posted July 29, 2003 Report Posted July 29, 2003 Templejazz, Despite what the LP and CD say, 'Haeschen' is a Duke Pearson composition. If you look at Mike Fitzgerald's Pearson discography, you will see that he recorded this tune (as 'Haschen') on an Atlantic session that was lost. Duke copyrighted it, Lee did not. 'Ceora' is partly inspired by the standard 'If Someone Had Told Me', which appears on The Magnificent Thad Jones, Vol. 2 (the pigeon cover). Bertrand. Quote
DrJ Posted July 29, 2003 Report Posted July 29, 2003 I've always loved "The Procrastinator." The intro sounds Russian to me, damned odd for Mogie but effective. Quote
Big Wheel Posted July 29, 2003 Report Posted July 29, 2003 Search for the New Land Morgan the Pirate Quote
pryan Posted July 30, 2003 Report Posted July 30, 2003 Ceora - simply a beautiful tune. BTW, does anybody know any other albums that has this tune on it (besides CORNBREAD)? Quote
Jim R Posted July 30, 2003 Report Posted July 30, 2003 According to AMG, Ceora is on the following: Â Carter, Benny- Â Elegy in Blue [94] Â Coe, Jimmy- Â Say What [98] Â Cunninghams- Â Strings 'N Swing: I Remember Bird [88] Â Cutler, Jim- Â JCQ [02] Â Dean, James L.- Â Ceora [92] Â DeFrancesco, Joey- Â Ballads and Blues [02] Â Eubanks, Robin- Â Wake Up Call [97] Â Fedchock, John- Â On the Edge [98] Â Flippen, Jay- Â Ask Me Now [99] Â Friesen, David- Â Name of a Woman [02] Â Gates, Bruce- Â Forced Air Heat [94] Â Green, Al- Â Mister Lucky [02] Â Grossman, Steve- Â Â Small Hotel [93] Â Henderson, Eddie- Â New York City After Hours [01] Â Henderson, Eddie- Â Think on Me [94] Â Henderson, Eddie- Â Tribute to Lee Morgan [94] Â Hill, Andrew- Â Faces of Hope [80] Â Hoffmann, Hajo- Â Â Touch of Jazz Violins [96] Â Hofmann, Holly- Â Take Note [90] Â Hunt, Oliver- Â Ceora [01] Â Jazzmobile All Star- Â Jazzmobile All Stars [89] Â Lavoe, Hector- Â El Sabio [92] Â Mabern, Harold- Â Philadelphia Bound [91] Â Marr, Hank- Â Â Invitation [00] Â Melia, Hal- Â Waduyathink [93] Â Meurkens, Hendrik- Â In a Sentimental Mood [99] Â Morgan, Frank- Â Â Lament [86] Â Morgan, Lee- Â Best of Lee Morgan [57] Â Morgan, Lee- Â Cornbread [65] Â Morgan, Lee- Â Â Memorial Album [57] Â Morgan, Lee- Â Morgan Memorial [57] Â Nueva Manteca- Â Varadero Blues [91] Â Person, Houston- Â Party [89] Â Roditi, Claudio- Â Â Free Wheelin': the Music of Lee Morgan [94] Â Shades of Jade- Â From Africa to New York, Vol. 6 [97] Â Simon, John- Â Legacy [96] Â Sklair, Sam- Â Virgo [92] Â Starr, Ron- Â Strawberry Jam [96] Â Watson, Bobby- Â Round Trip [85] Â Wayne, Wendell- Â Dear Lord [99]Â Â Quote
pryan Posted July 30, 2003 Report Posted July 30, 2003 Wow, that's quite the list. The biggest surprise for me is the Andrew Hill disc. I wonder what that version sounds like... Quote
Dmitry Posted July 30, 2003 Report Posted July 30, 2003 This begs a follow-up question: Who can be credited with teaching Lee the art of composition and arranging? I can't even make the choice re:favorite composition. Man was a prodigy and a genius. Quote
Free For All Posted July 30, 2003 Report Posted July 30, 2003 What was Lee's relationship w/Cal Massey? That could have been an influence. Quote
Michael Fitzgerald Posted July 30, 2003 Report Posted July 30, 2003 Lee Morgan attended Mastbaum Vocational-Technical High School in Philadelphia. Their high school music program was the equivalent of a college program. He had thorough training in harmony, counterpoint, and four-part writing. Lee also had absolute pitch. He was an extremely well-prepared musician. Also, immediately after that, he got to hang around with one of the greatest jazz theorists and composer-arrangers, Dizzy Gillespie. Mike Quote
Cali Posted July 30, 2003 Report Posted July 30, 2003 In the liner notes for Unforgettable Lee Morgan, Lee is quoted giving credit to Wayne Shorter for encouraging him to write more. He said that when Wayne joined the Messengers, Wayne showed him some things about composing. Quote
Guest ariceffron Posted July 30, 2003 Report Posted July 30, 2003 what. can you talk more about what wayne was showing to lee about composing, if you know more about it. is there any way you can elaborate on that. and yeah, taru. bennie maupin. bennie maupin is amazing. ive even witnessed with my own eyes bennie maupin doing some amazing shit, in many different contexts. his own band was absoutly out of control. some of the songs were fusion, and others were more kind of out pieces. Then ive seen him play at Sal Marquez's b-day show, with tootie heath also, and he was playing like he was on TARU. I swear to you it got out of control, and for this one solo it got COMPLETELY out of control. I was an idiot not to record it. The baked pottato records their shows though do any of you know them. anyways, ive also seen maupin with HEADHUNTERS, no not Headhunters Fleetwood-Mac style like there tourin like now (Christine and Herbie where r u) but the OG headhunters. Herbie, Bennie, and crew. Do any of you remember this? Circa 1997 or 8 maybe ANNNNYYYWAYYYS my favorite lee morgan composition? Its changed over the years. i dont know. i like them all for different reasons. im sorry Quote
Cali Posted July 30, 2003 Report Posted July 30, 2003 This information is in the liner notes to LEE MORGAN - Unforgettable Lee! on Fresh Sounds Records. Another interesting quote from Wayne is in the liner from Blakey & The Jazz Messengers' AFRICAINE; "Lee's approach to writing was fundamental. He was much more at home playing than writing, but he would never ask for help. That's one thing I dug about Lee - he would struggle through on his own. And then his innocence, his natural ability to communicate, really came through on 'Sidewinder.' He knew that if he was too deliberate, that if he was too tutored as a writer, that he would sound contrived. So he kept his shortcomings and learned to communicate in spite of them. Like Miles, he had the sound to overcome anything." Quote
BruceH Posted July 31, 2003 Report Posted July 31, 2003 I don't have all his albums but Search for the New Land is a favorite. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted July 31, 2003 Report Posted July 31, 2003 According to AMG, Ceora is on the following: Hill, Andrew - "Faces of Hope" [1980] Wow, that's quite the list. The biggest surprise for me is the Andrew Hill disc. I wonder what that version sounds like... It's one of Hill's solo-piano dates. I haven't listened to that particular cut in quite a while, but as I recall, you'd never guess in a million years that it was a Lee Morgan tune. I'll have to dig it out (and the original), and see if I even hear much similarity at all. Surely there must be some, but Hill does things with the tune that nearly make it his own. Quote
sal Posted July 31, 2003 Report Posted July 31, 2003 Cornbread is probably my favorite. What a funky melody! Quote
brownie Posted July 31, 2003 Report Posted July 31, 2003 A favorite Lee Morgan composition is 'Soft Touch' that was played on the 'Procrastinator' album. Really beautiful melody! Quote
Daniel A Posted July 31, 2003 Report Posted July 31, 2003 Didn't 'Soft Touch' also appear two years earlier on the Jackie McLean album 'Consequences' as 'Slumber'? I wonder which title is correct. Paging Bertrand... Quote
brownie Posted July 31, 2003 Report Posted July 31, 2003 Absolutely. It was 'Slumber' on the 1965 Jackie McLean 'Consequences' and turned up as 'Soft Touch' on the 1967 'Procrastinator'. Feel sure that Bertrand will have all the background on this. Whichever name, it's a great tune! Quote
Daniel A Posted July 31, 2003 Report Posted July 31, 2003 Whichever name, it's a great tune! Agreed! I think the Morgan album which as a whole features the most interesting compositions is 'Search for the New Land'. Much variation within the set, and not a trace of the formulaic album concepts of the next half of that decade. Quote
bertrand Posted July 31, 2003 Report Posted July 31, 2003 Daniel, Brownie, You guys are absolutely right. The melody best known as 'Soft Touch' was recorded *three* times by Lee. 'A Waltz For Fran' from Take Twelve (01/24/62) 'Slumber' from McLean's Consequence (12/03/65) 'Soft Touch' from The Procrastinator (07/14/67) If that were not enough, he copyrighted all three of these titles, and copyrighted this song *again* as 'Too Much Dues' on 02/08/67! Bertrand. Quote
Bright Moments Posted December 8, 2003 Report Posted December 8, 2003 lookie what i found! http://www.trumpetstuff.com/images/Morgan/ Quote
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