I Called Him Morgan

I've finally watched I Called Him Morgan. It goes without saying that this is a superior documentary to the recent Coltrane documentary because it tells a lesser known story while actually disseminating new information to a general public that likely knows less about Morgan than Coltrane. Anyway, focusing on Lee Morgan through the perspective of Helen Morgan, his wife who fatally shot him at Slug's in 1972, was a brilliant move that humanizes Helen while providing a look at Lee Morgan through a completely different lens. We learn about Helen's roots in North Carolina, her struggle to make it on her own terms in an era when opportunities for black women in New York were extremely limited, and just how important her role was in resuscitating Lee, both musically and morally. Unfortunately, I would have liked to learn a bit more about Lee's music and his own Philadelphia roots, but interviews with Jymie Merritt, Wayne Shorter, Bennie Maupin, and others helped fill the gap. Extensive use of photographs of recording sessions for Blue Note were excellently matched with the oral testimonies of interviewees who either recorded with Morgan or knew both Helen and Lee intimately. Nonetheless, it was shocking that "The Sidewinder" was not referenced at all in this film, particularly since it shaped Lee's subsequent recordings with Blue Note and the "soul-jazz" phenomenon of the 1960s. Nor was there specific mention of Morgan's later work's new directions, including some in the vein of jazz fusion and funkier aesthetics, except for a song composed in honor of Angela Davis by Merritt. In spite of these shortcomings, and the rather somber tone of the film, there is a rich sense of humor throughout. Helen, from a recorded interview in the 1990s before her death, describes her first meeting with Miles Davis, who calls her a bitch with a quick mouth. Wayne Shorter's recollections about the food and drink at Blue Note recording sessions was amusing and light-hearted. Seeing Shorter remember is musical comrade from their days in the Jazz Messengers was quite endearing. Next on the list is Kasper Collin's Albert Ayler documentary!