Lee Morgans Music Genre - Essay Example

Clifford Brown was His basic stylistic influence. Brown gave him a few lessons. Later at 18, Morgan joined Dizzy Gillespie Big Band where he was a member for one and a half years, until 1958 when Dizzy was forced by the economic situation to disband the unit. In 1956, he started making recordings for Blue Note Records, and eventually recorded 25 albums (McMillan 25).

Morgan’s music genre was Jazz; his styles were Trumpet Jazz, Jazz Instrument, and hard bop and the instruments he played were the Trumpet and flugelhorn. He was the '60s’ finest and among hard bops’ greatest trumpeters of that time. In 1963, the trumpeter returned to New York where he recorded The Sidewinder which eventually became his biggest commercial success. Following this success, Morgan went on to record prolifically, and he produced works like Search for the New Land (1964). During the 1960s, he as a leader recorded some additional albums, and as a sideman continued to record on other artists’ albums, including Stanley Turrentine's Mr. Natural; Wayne Shorter's Night Dreamer; Hank Mobley's Dippin', Straight No Filter, A Caddy for Daddy; and McCoy Tyner's Tender Moments among many more. During his last two years, Morgan got more politically involved and was among the leaders of the Jazz and People's Movement (Keith, Ron, Rich & Todd 313).

Jazz is a music genre that originated in African-American communities at the beginning of the 20th century, in the Southern United States. Its roots lie in the adoption of European harmony by African-Americans and form current African musical features. It is evident in the use of improvisation, blue notes, polyrhythms, the swung note, and syncopation that there is the presence of African musical influences. From its early development to the present day, jazz has incorporated some features from American popular music. Jazz has developed and spread across the world, and it has drawn on several different local, regional, and national musical cultures. It has given rise to several distinctive styles like New Orleans jazz, Kansas City jazz, big band swing, Gypsy jazz; West Coast jazz, avant-garde jazz, cool jazz, Afro-Cuban jazz, free jazz, modal jazz, Latin jazz, and many more (McMillan 29).

Morgan was known as a master of his instrument who boasted an effortless, virtuosic style as well as a complete, supple, muscular tone which was also powerful in the high register. His playing was emotionally charged notwithstanding the mood; sensitive and sweet on ballads; blistering on bop-oriented complex showcases, and exuberant and cocky on up-tempo groovers. In his early days, Morgan was a soloist with a preference for graceful, long lines. He honed his style when he was serving an apprenticeship in Jazz Messengers of Art Blakey. As his original compositions started to absorb elements of R&B and blues, he made maximum use of space and established an infectiously funky rhythmic style. He found means of mimicking human vocal inflections by slurring his articulations, employing half-valved sound effects, and stuttering (Keith, Ron, Rich & Todd 315). As he approached the end of his Jazz career, Morgan was moving into free bop and modal music, hinting at the avant-garde although he remained grounded in tradition.
Morgan's early sessions revealed him as a gifted artist with his influences down pat. With time, he became an original, distinctive stylist who delivered notable performances. That was particularly apparent on a warm standards album; Blue Note classic Candy completed and released on November 18, 1957, to considerable acclaim. Even though in this album Morgan was synthesizing his influences to his original sound, his playing was imbued with youthful enthusiasm. Morgan‘s compositions were increasingly free-form and modal, extending the boundaries of hard bop. His funkier instincts were also evident, shifting slowly from boogaloo to electrified fusion. By listening to “Candy”, it is prudent to conclude that Morgan was extraordinarily prolific (McMillan 30).

He discovered his dream as a Jazz artist at an early age and since then every piece of work he produced was received considerable acclaim. When he passed on jazz experienced a loss of a significant talent; however, his critical standing has barely diminished a whit. Morgan’s extensive recorded legacy is a massive inspiration to many young and upcoming jazz artists. Read More