Jazz Anniversary: November 18, 1957 @ New Jersey RVG

Nov. 18, 1957 “Since I Fell for You”
by Lee Morgan Quartet (Sonny Clark, Doug Watkins, Art Taylor) at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, NJ for Blue Note (Candy)

Fifteen days after the song introduced below, in the same US East Coast location, Lee Morgan—a trumpeter whose tone, style, melody, and even appearance were all spectacular—approached the recording session with a solid, understated rhythm section.

The development from Morgan's opening introduction is masterful and has a persuasive quality that makes you want to surrender to it, yet he was only 19 at the time. Even at such a young age, his way of wringing out melodies and his bluesy inflections were already fully formed. Morgan's confident performance, played without a hint of hesitation, reaches its climax at 4:30 with a breakdown from a high note.

Sonny Clark, the pianist who delivers the impressive opening melody, never stands out too much, but his unique, rumbling personality—which makes you wonder who he is—is on full display here as well. The piano solo that unfolds from the middle section is also pleasant to the ear, progressing with a bright and powerful touch while responding to Morgan's bluesy, inflected phrases. You can hear a performance from about a year later by Clark, using the same Rudy Van Gelder Studio and the same piano as this work, here.

Along with the weighty bass melody at the beginning, the drums resonate with a 'gong,' the hi-hat from the right speaker rings out sharply, and the dramatic development of the performance—where the tempo seems to bounce as if a switch were flipped at 4:03 right after the piano solo—is striking. Art Taylor is a true craftsman; he respects the leader and never tries to show off or stand out, but the more you listen, the more depth you find in his playing, like dried squid that gets better the more you chew it. The performance in the song introduced above is exactly that.

Bassist Doug Watkins is also one of those craftsman-like artists who, like Taylor, works in the background without drawing attention to himself, but whose work is profound when you listen closely. Beyond his role as an original member of the Jazz Messengers, he is most famous for his participation in the outstanding masterpiece by Sonny Rollins, the album that includes the song introduced below.

As proof of how highly regarded Watkins was, he was hired as a bassist for works where jazz bass giant Charles Mingus played the piano.

Watkins was from Detroit and a graduate of the prestigious Cass Tech High School, founded in 1907. This high school has an excellent music education program and has produced world-famous Motown stars like Diana Ross, keyboardist Greg Phillinganes—who has participated in numerous masterpieces by artists like Michael Jackson and Eric Clapton—and jazz musicians such as trumpeter Donald Byrd, Coltrane's partner Alice Coltrane, trombonist Curtis Fuller, and fellow bassists Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, and Major Holley.

Incidentally, there is a record that Watkins served as the best man at Chambers' wedding, so they seem to have been close friends. I often see descriptions stating that the two were cousins, but it seems they were best friends rather than cousins. Because they were so close, there is a story that Chambers would pass jobs offered to him on to Watkins. Listing the introduced songs that feature alumni from the same school:

Paul Chambers, a representative model of modern jazz bass who appears in many of the introduced songs

A duo work by Ron Carter, whose characteristic fluctuations are still active today, and Jim Hall

A Blue Note masterpiece by fellow Detroit native Kenny Burrell, featuring Major Holley

A masterpiece by Curtis Fuller, a staple for jazz albums and audio check sources

This song is an R&B track released in 1945. It gained recognition and became a standard through Annie Laurie's 1947 cover.

Dinah Washington was the one who took it up as a jazz piece, releasing it in 1947, the same year as Annie Laurie. It is believed that this version became the foundation for the song as a jazz standard. Morgan's performance also feels like a slight twist on Washington's style.

Now, for those who want to enjoy Morgan a bit more, please check this out as well. You can also enjoy Morgan with the Jazz Messengers.

Finally, you can also savor the performance of the sterling silver duo of Watkins and Taylor here.