Morgan live and at his very best.
I’ve always loved Lee Morgan. My favorite albums with him as the leader are from the 50’s. His sideman work during the 60’s is stellar as well. But this live album recorded in 1970 at The Lighthouse in Hermosa Beach in Los Angeles is something else. His style is mature and has developed from the previous two decades. We’re talking fiery and progressive modal/post-bop here, which he and the band excutes to perfection.
Morgan plays both the trumpet and flugelhorn. The fantastic cats that backs him consists of Bennie Maupin on tenor, flute and bass clarinet, Harold Mabern on piano, Jymie Merritt on bass and Mickey Roker on drums.
We’re treated to four tunes in this original 2 LP set, one tune per side. So it’s long format stuff, which I love. Favorite tunes are perhaps ”Absolutions” by Merritt and ”Neophilia” by Maupin.
The sound has a dry character and the treble is potent in the cymbals for example, but the low end and Merritt’s bass is very present. Overall a very ”live” sounding recording, which the whole point is of course. You wanna feel like you’re sitting there at a table in the club and experiencing the energy from the band and I think you get that.
This album ranks quite high on my list of favorite Morgan albums. It’s a resounding statement in time which exemplifies the leaders virtuosic and evergreen talent.
I visited the venue in Hermosa Beach in 2022. Below are some images from that visit.
