The program features the song “Favor” from Terell Stafford’s new CD, BrotherLee Love: Celebrating Lee Morgan. (Terell Stafford – trumpet; Tim Warfield – saxophone; Bruce Barth – piano; Peter Washington – bass; Dana Hall – drums)
Terell Stafford is the perfect player to do a long overdue tribute to one of Philadelphia’s greatest jazz legends, Lee Morgan. Though not raised in the City of Brotherly Love, Stafford cut his jazz teeth in Philly working behind Shirley Scott and Mickey Roker. For over 20 years he’s been the Director of Jazz Studies at Temple University.
Stafford, as much as any trumpeter on the scene today, can evoke the energy and trumpet swagger that Lee Morgan embodied. Cut down in the prime of his life in a shooting at Slug’s Saloon in New York at age 33 in 1972, Morgan was just beginning to branch out in new directions, like modal and free form, at the time of his death. We are left with his discography (largely on Blue Note Records) and his mastery of soul jazz and hard bop stylings.
Stafford is backed by an all-star quintet on such classic tunes as “Candy”, “Hocus Pocus”, and “Speedball.” Obvious choices such as “The Sidewinder” and “The Rumproller” were bypassed so as to explore some of the lesser known but still influential compositions. Like Morgan, Stafford can blow out the lights on the upper register but bring a tear to the eye on ballads as well. In addition to Stafford’s talents, his first-call recording mates help recreate the atmosphere that Morgan loved. If you like jazz trumpet, hard bop, and the classic sound of vintage Blue Note issues, then you’ll like this CD.
