Frank Morgan (musician)
Encyclopedia
Frank Morgan was a jazz
saxophonist with a career spanning more than 50 years.
He mainly played alto saxophone
but also played soprano saxophone
. During the 1950s he was known as a Charlie Parker
successor and recorded several bebop albums.
Morgan's father was a guitarist with the vocal group The Ink Spots
. Frank was playing guitar until seven when taken to see Charlie Parker play. Parker suggested starting with clarinet which he did for two years before switching to sax. He moved to California at age of 14 and started taking heroin at 17, subsequently became addicted and ended up spending time in Californian prisons. Formed a small ensemble at San Quentin prison in the 1960s with another addict and sax player, Art Pepper
. (Source Marian McPartland
interview with Frank Morgan.)
The Frank Morgan Quartet featured Dolo Coker
on piano, Flip Greene on bass and Larance Marable
on drums.
In 1985 he started recording again, releasing Easy Living in June 1985. He suffered a stroke in 1998, but subsequently recovered and recorded additional albums.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
saxophonist with a career spanning more than 50 years.
He mainly played alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
but also played soprano saxophone
Soprano saxophone
The soprano saxophone is a variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument, invented in 1840. The soprano is the third smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists of the soprillo, sopranino, soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, contrabass and tubax.A transposing instrument pitched in...
. During the 1950s he was known as a Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
successor and recorded several bebop albums.
Morgan's father was a guitarist with the vocal group The Ink Spots
The Ink Spots
The Ink Spots were a popular vocal group in the 1930s and 1940s that helped define the musical genre that led to rhythm and blues and rock and roll, and the subgenre doo-wop...
. Frank was playing guitar until seven when taken to see Charlie Parker play. Parker suggested starting with clarinet which he did for two years before switching to sax. He moved to California at age of 14 and started taking heroin at 17, subsequently became addicted and ended up spending time in Californian prisons. Formed a small ensemble at San Quentin prison in the 1960s with another addict and sax player, Art Pepper
Art Pepper
Art Pepper , born Arthur Edward Pepper, Jr., was an American alto saxophonist and clarinetist.About Pepper, Scott Yanow of All Music stated, "In the 1950s he was one of the few altoists that was able to develop his own sound despite the dominant influence of Charlie Parker" and: "When Art Pepper...
. (Source Marian McPartland
Marian McPartland
Margaret Marian McPartland, OBE is an English-born jazz pianist, composer, writer, and the host of Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on National Public Radio, NPR.-Early life:...
interview with Frank Morgan.)
The Frank Morgan Quartet featured Dolo Coker
Dolo Coker
Charles Mitchell “Dolo” Coker Charles Mitchell “Dolo” Coker Charles Mitchell “Dolo” Coker (November 16, 1927 – April 13, 1983 was a jazz pianist and composer who recorded four albums for Xanadu Records and extensively as a sideman, for artists like Sonny Stitt, Gene Ammons, Lou Donaldson, Art...
on piano, Flip Greene on bass and Larance Marable
Larance Marable
Larance Marable is a West Coast jazz hard bop drummer born in Los Angeles, California, probably best known today for his work with Charlie Haden in his Quartet West. However, Marable also had a strong career first as a bop musician in the 1950s working with the likes of Dexter Gordon and Charlie...
on drums.
In 1985 he started recording again, releasing Easy Living in June 1985. He suffered a stroke in 1998, but subsequently recovered and recorded additional albums.
Discography
- Gene Norman Presents Frank Morgan (GNP Crescendo Records GNPD 9041) 1955) with Wardell GrayWardell GrayWardell Gray was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods.Today often overlooked, Gray's playing displays a unique style, an unmatched tone and a strong presence.-Early years:...
, Conte CandoliConte CandoliSecondo "Conte" Candoli was an American jazz trumpeter based on the West Coast. He played in the big bands of Woody Herman, Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, and Dizzy Gillespie, and in Doc Severinsen's NBC Orchestra on The Tonight Show. He played with Gerry Mulligan, and on Frank Sinatra's TV specials...
, Howard RobertsHoward RobertsHoward Roberts was an American jazz guitarist, educator and session musician.-Biography:Roberts was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and began playing guitar at age 8. By the time he was 15 he was playing professionally locally....
, Carl PerkinsCarl PerkinsCarl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...
, Wild Bill DavisWild Bill DavisWild Bill Davis was the stage name of American jazz pianist, organist, and arranger William Strethen Davis.Davis was born in Glasgow, Missouri...
- Easy Living (OJC, 1985) with Cedar WaltonCedar WaltonCedar Anthony Walton, Junior is an American hard bop jazz pianist.-Biography:Walton grew up in Dallas, Texas. His mother was an aspiring concert pianist, and was Walton's initial teacher. She also took him to jazz performances around Dallas...
, Tony DumasTony DumasTony Dumas is a retired American professional basketball player.Dumas played collegiately at the University of Missouri-Kansas City . He was the all-time leading scorer in UMKC history upon the completion of his career, with 2,459 career points. His senior season, he finished seventh in the NCAA...
, Billy HigginsBilly HigginsBilly Higgins was an American jazz drummer. He played mainly free jazz and hard bop.Higgins was born in Los Angeles, California. Higgins played on Ornette Coleman's first records, beginning in 1958... - Double Image (Contemporary, 1986) with George CablesGeorge CablesGeorge Andrew Cables is a jazz pianist, born November 14, 1944 in New York City.He has played with Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, and others.His own recordings include the 1980 Cables Vision with Freddie Hubbard among others....
- Lament (1987)
- Major ChangesMajor ChangesMajor Changes is a 1987 album by Frank Morgan with the McCoy Tyner Trio released on the Contemporary label. It was recorded in April 1987 and features performances by Morgan and Tyner with Avery Sharpe and Louis Hayes...
(1987) - Yardbird Suite (OJc, 1988) with Mulgrew MillerMulgrew MillerMulgrew Miller is an American jazz pianist who performs in a number of jazz idioms. He began his career as member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.-Biography:...
, Ron CarterRon CarterRon Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
, Al FosterAl FosterAl Foster is an American jazz drummer. Foster played with Miles Davis's large funk fusion group in the 70s, was one of the few people to have contact with Miles during his retirement, and was also part of his comeback album The Man With the Horn of 1981... - Reflections (OJC, 1989) with Joe HendersonJoe HendersonJoe Henderson was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than forty years Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent labels, including Blue Note.-Early life:From a very large family with five sisters and nine...
, Bobby HutchersonBobby HutchersonBobby Hutcherson is a jazz vibraphone and marimba player. His vibraphone playing is suggestive of the style of Milt Jackson in its free-flowing melodicism, but his sense of harmony and group interaction is thoroughly modern...
, Mulgrew Miller, Ron Carter, Al Foster - Mood Indigo (1989)
- A Lovesome Thing (1991) with Roy HargroveRoy HargroveRoy Anthony Hargrove is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002...
, Abbey LincolnAbbey LincolnAnna Marie Wooldridge , better known by her stage name Abbey Lincoln, was a jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. Lincoln was unusual in that she wrote and performed her own compositions, expanding the expectations of jazz audiences.-Biography:Born in Chicago, Illinois, she was one of many...
- You Must Believe In Spring (1992)
- Listen to the Dawn (Antilles, 1993) with Kenny BurrellKenny BurrellKenneth Earl "Kenny" Burrell is an American jazz guitarist. His playing is grounded in bebop and blues; he has performed and recorded with a wide range of jazz musicians.-Biography:...
, Ron Carter, Grady TateGrady TateGrady Tate, , is a hard bop and soul-jazz drummer and singer.He has played with Lional Hampton, Jimmy Smith, Grant Green, Lena Horne, Astrud Gilberto, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Blossom Dearie, Chris Connor, Sarah Vaughan, Ray Charles, Cal Tjader, Peggy Lee, Bill Evans, Duke Ellington, Count... - Love, Lost and Found (Telarc, 1995) with Cedar Walton, Ray BrownRay Brown (musician)Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
, Billy Higgins - Bop! (Telarc, 1996) with Ray DrummondRay DrummondRay Drummond is a jazz bassist and teacher. He also has an MBA from Stanford University, hence his linkage to the Stanford Jazz Workshop...
, Curtis LundyCurtis LundyCurtis Lundy is an American double bass player, composer, producer, choir director and arranger. Lundy is best-known for his work as part of jazz vocalist Betty Carter's band, through whose ranks several eventually renowned musicians have passed.... - City Nights (2004)
- Raising the Standard (2005)
- Reflections (2006)
- Night in the Life (2007)
External links
- All About Jazz interview
- New York Times review
- [ Alllmusic]