Lee Morgan by Tom Perchard

Lee Morgan by Tom Perchard

This is the first biography of the jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan (1938-72). He was a prodigy: recruited to Dizzy Gillespie's big band while still a teenager, joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers not much after, by his early-20s Morgan had played on four continents and dozens of albums. The trumpeter would go on to cultivate a personal and highly influential style, and to make records - most notably The Sidewinder - which would sell amounts almost unheard of in jazz. While what should have been Morgan's most successful years were hampered by a heroin addiction, the ascendant black liberation movement of the late-60s gave the musician a new, political impulse, and he returned to the jazz scene to become a vociferous campaigner for black musicians' rights and representation. But Morgan's personal life remained troubled, and during a fight with his girlfriend at a New York club, he was shot and killed at age 33. Although Lee Morgan lived and died in sensational style, the story told in this book doesn't just stumble between stages, studios, bars and needles; such a narrative couldn't do justice to the richness of the trumpeter's music, nor to the culture from which it came. Here, then, the events of Morgan's life are presented not just as items of biography, but also as points of departure for wider historical investigations that aim to situate the musician and his contemporaries in changing aesthetic, social and economic contexts. The work draws on many original interviews with Morgan's colleagues and friends, as well as extensive archival research and critical engagement with the music itself.

'Perchard's descriptions of Morgan's playing are both technically astute and accessible, but the real strength of this book lies in its awareness of contextsHe has spoken to an impressive number of people who knew Morgan or shared his background. The whole trajectory [of Morgan's life] ... is handled with impressive confidence. It's cliched praise, but my first act on finishing the book was to dig out a slew of old Blue Notes.'Brian Morton, The Wire'Through a wealth of research and incisive anecdote from his band members and close associates, Morgan emerges as an intriguing, multi-layered figure. [A] very accomplished biography...'Kevin Le Gendre, The Independent on Sunday'...an excellent musical biography' Mike Hobart, FT Magazine'The publication that best filled a gap this year'Sholto Byrnes, Independent on Sunday

Tom Perchard is Professor of Music, Director of Research in Music and Co-director of the Popular Music Research Unit. His other works include After Django: Making Jazz in Postwar France (University of Michigan Press, 2015). His work is concerned with the historical and cultural situation of music-making and listening.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781845533823
ISBN 10	1845533828
Title	Lee Morgan
Author	Tom Perchard
Series	Popular Music History
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Equinox Publishing Ltd
Year published	2008-02-01
Number of pages	256
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.