Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Carol Morgan, Trumpet Extraordinaire


Women trumpeters in jazz? The Sweethearts of Rhythm had some, though I don't recall their names. Barbara Donald. Now there was a good one. Bold, brassy, harmonically advanced. I'm sure I am leaving out a number of them. But then there's Carol Morgan. Here's a player for you!

She's had a few albums out but Opening (Blue Bamboo) is the first with her trio: Morgan, Harvie S on bass and Rich Derosa on drums (and Woody Witt guesting on tenor & soprano).

Ms. Morgan has an appealing tone, somewhere between the alum puckerishness of Clark Terry and the quiet intensity of Chet Baker, perhaps, but not as fragile sounding. She is loquacious in her straight-ahead soloing. Hey, she's good!

The album mixes hard bop and American songbook standards (actually, only one of the latter) and some originals by Carol and drummer Derosa.

This is very solid horn and some very together performances. Horn players take note. Listeners, too!

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