Trumpeter
Terell Stafford pays tribute to jazz legend
Lee Morgan on 2015's
Brotherlee Love: Celebrating Lee Morgan. Joining
Stafford here are longtime associates saxophonist
Tim Warfield, pianist
Bruce Barth, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer
Dana Hall. Together,
Stafford and his ensemble jump headlong into a handful of songs composed and/or strongly associated with
Morgan. A hard bop-era trumpeter,
Morgan (who was tragically murdered outside a club in 1972) was known for his exuberant, gymnastic style and clarion tone. He was also a champion of the funky, danceable "boogaloo" rhythm, most notably exploited on his 1963 classic "The Sidewinder." Although
Stafford deftly sidesteps the obvious inclusion of "Sidewinder," he does tap into the boogaloo vibe on the rolling "Yes I Can, No You Can't." Elsewhere,
Stafford delivers a swaggering, fiery solo on the propulsive "Speedball" and settles nicely into the gooey romance of "Candy," done here as a ballad in thoughtful contrast to
Morgan's jaunty 1953 version. Also ear-catching is the group's kinetic, Latin-tinged take on
Morgan's "Mr. Kenyatta," featuring a soulful, angular solo turn from
Warfield. Fittingly, the sole non-
Morgan-related inclusion is
Stafford's laconic, swinging original "Favor," which showcases his own
Morgan-esque chops on a bluesy solo rubato intro. While
Stafford has come into his own as a trumpeter and jazz stylist in the past decade, it's always fascinating to hear him put his own twist on the jazz tradition as he does on
Brotherlee Love. ~ Matt Collar