Hi all,
I watched a really interesting and well-done feature-length documentary yesterday, "I Called Him Morgan", about the Jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan and the events leading up to and after his death, when he was shot by his common-law wife, Helen, at a gig in New York City in 1972. There are many interviews with musicians who played with Lee, and friends of both Helen and Lee, and Helen herself, as well as a surprising amount of performance footage of Lee playing in different ensembles. He was a perfectly amazing trumpet player who was a featured soloist with Dizzy Gillespie's band at the age of 18! It is a very sad story, but it is real, and it is so unusual to see something real that I thought I would mention it. It is new to video, and I believe a newly released movie, too. If you like Jazz of that period you shouldn't miss it, and if you're just interested in the story it is worth taking some trouble to see. There are so many interesting and well-spoken interview subjects in it, too.
All best,
Johnm
I watched a really interesting and well-done feature-length documentary yesterday, "I Called Him Morgan", about the Jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan and the events leading up to and after his death, when he was shot by his common-law wife, Helen, at a gig in New York City in 1972. There are many interviews with musicians who played with Lee, and friends of both Helen and Lee, and Helen herself, as well as a surprising amount of performance footage of Lee playing in different ensembles. He was a perfectly amazing trumpet player who was a featured soloist with Dizzy Gillespie's band at the age of 18! It is a very sad story, but it is real, and it is so unusual to see something real that I thought I would mention it. It is new to video, and I believe a newly released movie, too. If you like Jazz of that period you shouldn't miss it, and if you're just interested in the story it is worth taking some trouble to see. There are so many interesting and well-spoken interview subjects in it, too.
All best,
Johnm