Orion Edmondson, drums, leads a quintet tribute to Philadelphia-born trumpeter Lee Morgan — famed for a hip, soulful, hard bop jazz output during the late 1950s and 1960s that became a significant soundtrack for the times.  From New York, trumpeter Justin Smith handles the duties evoking Morgan’s sound and persona, while fellow bandmates Ruben Salcido on sax, Steve McQuarry on piano, Joe McKinley on bass flesh out the signature Blue Note sound that has never stopped reverberating through the music we know of as jazz…

Morgan recorded 25 albums as a leader on Blue Note Records starting in 1956.  Played on Coltrane’s 1957 “Blue Trane” album, was a long-time member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers alongside Wayne Shorter and Bobby Timmons, and hit big with his own “Sidewinder” lp on Blue Note in 1963.  His last album was recorded for Blue Note in September 1971.  Morgan was shot in a club where he was performing in February 1972, and would likely have survived the wound if an ambulance team’s reluctance to respond to the call had not delayed Morgan’s transport to a nearby hospital.  Morgan bled to death, unnecessarily, at the age of 33.  But his music rolls on.

Live music is presented every Sunday afternoon at Bird & Beckett, in the concert series we call “which way west?”  No cover charge, but bring some dough for the musicians– the money you contribute at the gigs makes up the lion’s share of our guarantee to these fine artists.  We can’t do it without your support!

Also, your tax-deductible contributions to the Bird & Beckett Cultural Legacy Project, by check or cash, underwrite the operating costs of our many music and literary events.  Thanks!