Frank Morgan - Reflections (Contemporary, 1988)

This post is by Dan

Frank Morgan (as); Joe Henderson (ts); Bobby Hutcherson (vib); Mulgrew Miller (p); Ron Carter (b); Al Foster (d)

Recorded January 11 and 12, 1988

Much has been written about Frank Morgan's reentry into jazz recording after 30 years of addiction and periods of incarceration. His comeback began in 1985 with a full recording slate, and Morgan was celebrated for his return to music as a free man.

Reflections assembles a truly all-star band of players who appear to stimulate Morgan into renewed excellence. I enjoy this album much more than his other comeback albums, which seem a bit listless to me. No so on Reflections, where the mutual inspiration between Morgan and the younger players lifts everyone to some of their strongest statements of the decade

Key tracks on the album include Bobby Hutcherson's "Starting Over," which is tackled vigorously. Morgan glides in between a driving solo by Hutcherson and Joe Henderson's great solo. Morgan is understandably a little overmatched but holds his own. "Black Narcissus" is my favorite tune on the album. It's a modal waltz stated by the full ensemble that leads to Morgan's best solo on the date. The pace of this tune - somewhere between a ballad and a burner - seems to offer everyone more options for soloing. The closing "O.K.," composed by Ron Carter, is an odd piece that does not appear to offer much to solo on - no easy blues progression or strong melody. Henderson knows just what to do with it, however, and brings the vibes and bass together in a remarkable solo spot. Too bad the track has to fade out at the end. 

The program includes two familiar tunes by Rollins and Monk. "Sonnymoon for Two" finds Morgan at his most comfortable and also grants solo space to Carter and Al Foster. "Reflections" employs an interesting arrangement in which Morgan plays the first verse, followed by Henderson and Hutcherson playing mini solos in subsequent verses. This approach is repeated after Morgan's longer soulful solo. A final ensemble section finds Henderson and Hutcherson playing countermelodies over Morgan's statement of the theme. Pretty cool stuff!

The recording and mastering are excellent. Contemporary usually gets the engineering details right. A+ for the cover art. The CD/download includes a seventh track, "Caravan," which The Penguin Jazz Guide (p. 515) reports "almost steals the show."  

Highly recommended!