IN THIS ISSUE:

Two Sax Giants at the Bird

BY LARS BJÖRN AND PIOTR MICHALOWSKI

We had the fortune to get to hear two reed masters within two weeks of each other at the Bird of Paradise in Ann Arbor: altoist and flutist Sonny Fortune and altoist Frank Morgan. Both were backed by bassist Ron Brooks' trio, which features Rick Roe on piano and Pete Siers on drums. While Morgan has played at the Bird several times, this was Fortune's first engagement. This probably accounts for the smoother interplay that Morgan enjoyed with the house band, but it might also have something to do with different approaches to jazz performance.

The two players differed in a number of ways. Their repertoires overlapped with Miles Davis material from around 1960, otherwise Morgan picked bop and mainstream standards and Fortune chose Wayne Shorter as his guiding light. While both players have a great feel for the blues tradition in jazz, Morgan's alto spoke more directly to the heart of the trio and the audience. His more casual performance style also helped him connect with his audience. For his first number, "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," Morgan simply strolled in front of the audience and started to play in a low conversational voice. Once the audience was hooked, he slowly built up the tension in the piece and by the end the quartet was jumping. Fortune never connected this well with the audience, even though he chose to talk between numbers, which Morgan avoided altogether.

Fortune was most impressive on the flute. On "Invitation" he gave us a virtual catalogue of what can be done with the flute in jazz.

photographs by Lars Björn