One of the most individual stylists of his time, trumpeter Lee Morgan began his professional career in Philadelphia at age fifteen. At eighteen, after a short stint with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Morgan joined Dizzy Gillespie's orchestra, where he stayed until the group disbanded in 1958. A return to Blakey brought Morgan new opportunities, including his first successful attempts at composition. But however much his time with Blakey helped to advance his playing and writing, his boss's and his bandmates' destructive drug habits exerted just as strong an influence. Within three years, Morgan would be back home in Philadelphia, strung out on heroin and penniless.
Morgan's return to music in the early to mid-sixties witnessed a tremendous evolution in his playing. Formerly a virtuoso in the model of his idol, Clifford Brown, Morgan brought to his critically acclaimed Blue Note records of the era an emotionally charged, muscular tone, full of poise and control. But it was with the record Sidewinder, recorded in 1963, that Morgan found his greatest fame and commercial success, due to the infectious groove of the title tune. By the time of his death, at thirty-three---murdered in a New York City club by his girlfriend Helen More, during a gig---Morgan had begun a new phase of his career, experimenting with freer-forms of musical expression.
Jeff McMillan's Delightfulee is the first biography to seriously examine Morgan's vast contributions to jazz, both as a performer and as a composer. Thanks to exclusive access to Lee Morgan's now-deceased brother, McMillan is also able to provide unparalleled insight into Morgan's personal and family life
Jeff McMillan received his master's degree from the Jazz History and Research program at Rutgers-Newark in 2000 and currently works as an archivist for the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Superb Biography Of Lee Morgan The author is to be highly congratulated for putting together this excellent biography. Obviously, this was a labor of love. The author did far reaching original research thru personal interviews and other sources. The effort paid off. The book traces Lee from high school in Philadelphia where at about age 13 he started learning the vibes. Before long he moved to the trumpet. And he was a very quick learner. He played around locally and by age 17 or 18 was a soloist in Dizzy Gillespie's big band. He became a participant in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Being featured in groups that had Hank Mobley and Bobby Timmons as well as Wayne Shorter and Walter Davis,Jr. The Jazz Messengers of the late 1950's and early 1960's were tremendously exciting. Lee led the way with his fiery,exuberant,unique style.He could be counted on to regularly play his best night after night until his drug use took over and his lip began to deteriorate due to lack of continued practice. There seems to be a consensus among some critics and musicians that Lee wanted to grow into something else musically. Perhaps. But, personally I will always cherish his days as a Jazz Messenger. His unique exciting, powerful, facility were virtually incomparable.The author discusses many of Lee's albums and his life right up till that terrible night at Slug's in February 1972 at 243 E. 3rd St. By the way, Tom Lord's authoritative discography lists 188 sessions that Lee participated in. Reading this book makes you feel almost as though you were there for key parts of Lee's life. Tremendous effort by the author
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
