Classic

Air Date: 1/2/2022

I became rather upset when I found out that Lee Morgan was shot and killed by his common-law wife at the tender age of thirty-three. Here I was, only a few years out from the horrendous act, listening to everything I could get my hands on from the trumpeter, pretty much all from the '60s. 

My collection started out with his 1958 release Candy. I remember loving the title track, and also his version of All the Way. And then all those great releases - Tom Cat, The Sidewinder, Cornbread, The Procrastinator - all with such exciting music. Infectious. I listened over and over, but I was already used to that, having gone through it with Coltrane and Dolphy.

We'll pay homage to these gentlemen on the upcoming edtion of the Sunday Jazz Brunch. Just take a look at the set list below. Wow, you will see a lot of great music from the sixties mostly, although for Groove Hour I will stretch '70s - '90s.

Just one thing about the sixties. This was a time in history that fills me with awe. Like most of my generation, I grew up on the Beatles, the British Invasion, Woodstock, and  other popular music events of the time. The creativity of this period, combined with its seeming innocence and search for truth, made it a special time. 

The creativity was abundant in jazz as well. I missed it as it happened, but I did catch up with it about a decade later. We'll listen to it together.

I can say something about each of these beautiful songs, but I will condense my comments here, and just provide a few bullet points to consider as you listen to this concert of classic jazz. 

  • John Coltrane will play an outsize role, but that should be expected. The man was a great inspiration. So many words have been written about him. No one would argue giving him the top spot (if that's how you want to look at it.)
  • Wayne Shorter's Fall is one of my favorite tunes of his, and here we have its first release on Miles Davis' 1968 Nefertiti, his last straight ahead release before he turned toward fusion.
  • I can't get enough of Wayne Shorter, so we hear a track from his Night Dreamer right after Fall.
  • If you've never heard McCoy Tyner's  1966 Today and Tomorrow, then you are in for a treat. 
  • Kenny Dorham's La Mesha is one of my favorite 'contemplative' tracks. It is amazing to hear the trumpeter with the young tenor saxophonist on Joe Henderson's debut album.
  • The next track, Aisha from Coltrane's Ole, is a song I first heard at a summer camp. There was a record player attached to a PA system by the pool, and one of the albums was this one! It was the only jazz album, and when I played this song, I had to look on the cover to see the name of the alto saxophonist. It said 'George Lane,' and I thought he sounded rather like Eric Dolphy. Turns out, it was Mr. Dolphy!

Make sure to stick around for Groove Hour. If you're like me, this might just bring up some old memories!

Happy new year!

Lee Morgan photo by Herbert Behrens / Anefo, CC BY-SA 3.0 NL, via Wikimedia Commons

 

HOUR ONE

John Coltrane-The Gentle Side Of John Coltrane-10 After The Rain-1974 orig Impressions 1963
Hank Mobley-Dippin'-05 I See Your Face Before Me-1965
Bill Evans & Tony Bennett-Together again-A Child is Born 1977
The Wes Montgomery Trio-A Dynamic New Sound- Guitar,Organ,Drums-Yesterdays 1959
Eric Dolphy-Outward Bound-05 Glad to be Unhappy-1960
Herbie Hancock-The Best of Herbie Hancock-08 Speak Like A Child 1988 orig 1968
John Coltrane-Ballads-05 I Wish I Knew 1962
Lee Morgan\Tom Cat 1964\Twilight Mist
Johnny Hartman-For Trane-06 The Nearness of You-1971
Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane-Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane-04 Why Was I Born-1958

HOUR TWO

Miles Davis-Plays Classic Ballads-06 Fall-1990 orig Nefertiti 1968
Wayne Shorter-Night Dreamer-02 Oriental Folk Song-1964
John Coltrane-John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman-03 My One and Only Love-1963
Wayne Shorter-Night Dreamer-03 Virgo-1964
Lee Morgan-The Procrastinator-05 Rio 1967
McCoy Tyner-Today and Tomorrow-06 When Sunny Gets Blue 1966
Joe Henderson-Page One-02 La Mesha 1963
John Coltrane-Ole Coltrane [Atlantic Jazz 1373-2]-03 Aisha-1961

HOUR THREE

Lee Morgan-The Procrastinator-02 Party Time 1967
Miles Davis-Seven Steps to Heaven-04 So Near, So Far 1963
Bill Evans & Jim Hall-Intermodulation-06 All Across the City- 1966
John Coltrane-Ballads-07 It's Easy To Remember (But So Hard To Forget) 1962
Herbie Hancock-The Essential Herbie Hancock (Disc 1)-04 Maiden Voyage 2006 orig  1965
Joe Henderson-Page One-05 Jinrikisha 1963
*** TRIBUTE TO TRANE ***
John Coltrane & Tadd Dameron-Mating Call 1956-Mating Call
John Coltrane & Thelonious Monk-Thelonious Monk with John Coltrane 1957-Ruby My Dear
John Coltrane-Giant Steps-01 Giant Steps-1960: Coltrane's fifth release as a leader, and his first album for Atlantic

HOUR FOUR - Classic Groove

George Benson-Breezin' 1976-04-Affirmation
Grover Washington, Jr.-20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection- The Best of Grover Washington Jr.-01 Mister Magic 2000 Orig 1975
Wes Montgomery-Down Here on the Ground-Wind Song 1968
The Jazz Crusaders-Happy Again-02 When You're So Far Away 1995
Spyro Gyra-Morning Dance-08 Little Linda 1979
Earl Klugh-Peculiar Situation-09 Before You Go 1999
Bobby Caldwell-Where Is Love-01 Where Is Love 1993
Pat Metheny Group-We Live Here-03 The Girls Next Door 1995
Lee Ritenour-Collection-08 Is It You 1991 orig 1981
Grover Washington, Jr.-Prime Cuts- The Columbia Years 1987-1999-10 Soulful Strut (The Top Down Version) 1999 orig 1996
Larry Carlton-Collection-08 Sleepwalk 1991 orig 1982



Bobby Caldwell-Time & Again-01 What You Won't Do For Love 2001 orig 1998

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