Lee Morgan's sound

[so what]

Lee Morgan was, of course, a great trumpet player.
I love his sound. It is bright and edgy, yet still full and smooth. No one would confuse his sound with any other trumpet player, I think.

I know he played a Benge. 2x, I'd guess. Maybe 3.

Clearly, it is him, not the horn.

It is a sound to strive for, I think.

[HERMOKIWI]

According to the websites I've seen Lee played a French Besson Brevete, Olds Ambassador, Conn 8B Artist and a Martin Committee. There's no mention on any of the websites of him playing a Benge, at least on any recordings.

Of course Lee could play anything and, as the stories go, often did, at least at gigs.

His sound is sometimes somewhat similar to Clifford Brown's sound although, like most players, he had his own sound.

Great player.
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HERMOKIWI

[blbaumgarn]

I just looked up Lee's wikipedia site ant there is a pic in there of him playing what is most likely the Besson Brevete, but could be a Benge 2x. I was just curious as Lee was one of those greats who passed away far too young.
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trumpeter's fury-then there is the dark side!" Irving Bush

[markp]

He was also playing a cornet on a YouTube recording of a live concert that I recently watched.

[MrOlds]

I had always assumed he was playing a French Besson.

But the bell engraving in this picture looks more like a Burbank Benge.

https://www.allmusic.com/album/tokyo-1961-london-1965-mw0001077356/credits

[homebilly]

you might be right as a besson would have a water key on the third valve slide and i don't see it present

hard to tell though
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[so what]

I've been listening to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers tonight, from the time that Lee was playing. Art knew how to pick a good trumpet player! Art's drumming is awesome.

Lee's sound is wonderful and it screams Benge 3x to me. (Yes, I've played one for a long time, from 1969.)

It does not matter to me at all whether I am right about this.

The sound is beautiful and is what I want to strive for at least some of the time.

Technical skills aside, it is the sound I'm talking about. Something to enjoy and to strive for.

Another aside, I am surprised about how nice Lee's high register is on these recordings. Also, I've always been surprised about how Art could make a great jazz tune out of a march. Interesting to hear the introduction of the new up and coming sax guy, Wayne Shorter.

[so what]

Another thing, It is neat to hear echos of Clark Terry in Lee's playing on Moose the Mooch.

[Leeway]

There is a lot of conjecture about what horns Lee played, certainly more than there are known facts. He was presented a Martin Committee by Diz when his big band folded in the late 50s and he almost certainly played it for a while with the tilted bell and its straight bell. There are pictures of Lee playing what looks very much like a Bach also.
Besson or Benge is another mystery, it's not easy to tell them apart unless you get just the right view of the horn. Many say it was a Chicago Benge.
From the early 60s his main horn was a Conn 8B Artist, but his proclivities for Heroin often put the Conn in the hock shop and he played whatever he could borrow.

His sound is unmistakable and had he lived, he may have eclipsed many of the greats.
Miles is credited with changing the sound of the Trumpet, but personally, I think Lee was a far more innovative and original Artist than Miles.
Compare what both of them were doing around 1960 and Lee has left Miles a mile behind.
His musical ideas are totally melodic and innovative, always soulful and beautiful from ballad to hard Bop. His sound sparkles and can be hard edged or warm and sweet.

I dont think there ever was or ever will be another Trumpet player like him.

[lipshurt]

Hmmmm
Ever heard miles at Carnegie hall 1961?

As for lee morgan’s sound, at least later on, he played what seems to be louder on recordings than most others at the time. When he plays louder you can hear the room light up a LOT (like on ceora for instance).
That sound of the room reverberating at the same time his volume on threcord stays the same is because they are using a limiter (dynamic compressor) and it’s working a lot. That means he was really making a big difference between his regular playing and his loud playing.

That volume of sound may have hurt his chops over time. You can hear it towards the later years.

Great player. Miles was a great player too
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[delano]

[Leeway]

[delano]

You don’t realize but your answer is perfect, shows everything we need.

[craigtrumpet]

Lee's got one of my favorite sounds for sure! I love his sound throughout his career, but especially on his early albums. His playing on Blue Train is what inspired me to become a jazz trumpet player in the first place. On all those early records from '56 and '57 he was playing on a Martin Committee (both bent bell and straight bell) and a Mt. Vernon Bach 6C (though by the time he recorded Vol. 3 he was playing a different piece). My set up is actually a 1957 Martin Committee Deluxe and a Mt. Vernon Bach 6C (coincidence? ). I recently transcribed a Lee Morgan solo playing on almost the same equipment that Lee played on the original recording (though mine does not have the bent bell obviously).

Of course I still sound nothing like Lee, but having this set up sure does make me feel connected to Lee when i play. This is also the same set up Lee used to record Blue Train, dig it:


Link


Here are some nice high quality photos of playing the 2 Committees:

Lee on the straight bell Committee #1 -
https://cdn3.volusion.com/gnvdh.kdfvm/v/vspfiles/photos/MMBLP-1557-2.jpg?v-cache=1383702007

Lee on the straight bell Committee #2 - http://i306.photobucket.com/albums/nn280/tk417/1280098838.jpg

Lee on the bent bell Committee w/ Mt. Vernon piece #1 - https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/10866124_345197422338533_7857981965451880286_o.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_sid=2d5d41&_nc_ohc=Vagf40JTkbkAX-FAFBK&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=176e9664bbb860f0c20c92634fc4f02f&oe=5EE4DC0D

Lee on the bent bell Committee w/ Mt. Vernon piece #2 - https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/1380781_10202273432335842_743642775_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_sid=da1649&_nc_ohc=UxZfpeE4QWQAX9G9fP3&_nc_ht=scontent-lga3-1.xx&oh=b589e02951aff110bc982ead92be36a1&oe=5EE2C153
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[Bill Ortiz]

Regarding the post about Miles and Lee Morgan-with respect It’s one thing to say “I like this person better,” but to say “Lee was a far more innovative and original artist” is just historically inaccurate.

First off, both artists are probably my two favorite jazz trumpet players. Lee Morgan’s approach was founded with the musical language of Fats Navarro and Clifford Brown, which he adapted to his own voice and used this as a foundation of his playing during his career. The great wealth of music he recorded was in the hard bop style.

Miles initially was initially influenced by Dizzy, Lester Young, Clark Terry and Ahmad Jamal, but changed his vocabulary and musical approach drastically during the 60’s and again during the ’70’s, and also the 80’s. Miles is credited with changing the course of jazz 4 or 5 times with The Birth Of The Cool, his Third Stream music, his modal approach, the ’60’s chromaticism, the ’70’s non-western approach to improvisation… This is unique to almost any other musician. Ellington did this-so did Picasso.

As I stated it’s all good to say who your favorite is but let’s be factual and respect jazz history and lineage.
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14B Schilke mouthpiece
Couesnon Paris flugelhorn
Bob Reeves Sleeves and PVA

[kehaulani]

[Bill Ortiz]

Absolutely-blues is a foundational element of not only hard bop, but all jazz. Lee had a very strong bluesy and soulful approach. In addition, for the most part without blues, there's no jazz :)
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'56 Martin Committee Deluxe #2 trumpet
14B Schilke mouthpiece
Couesnon Paris flugelhorn
Bob Reeves Sleeves and PVA

[kehaulani]

Thanks, Bill.
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"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn

[Leeway]

[kehaulani]

I don't understand where this hostility is coming from, Leeway, but just what is it that Bill wrote that is B.S.?
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"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Benge 3X Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn