Lee Morgan - Shrine of Masters Gallery in Harlem, NYC

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by btf1980, Feb 21, 2012.

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  1. btf1980

    btf1980 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    40 years ago, Lee Morgan was murdered while he was about to perform onstage at Slugs, a jazz club in the East Village section of NYC. Sunday, February 19th was the 40th anniversary of that senseless act.

    The Shrine of the Masters (SOM) Gallery in Harlem houses a permanent collection dedicated to the life and music of Lee Morgan.

    Lena Sherrod, the executive director of the SOM Jazz Gallery put together an invite only event that I was fortunate enough to attend. It was to commemorate and honor Lee Morgan, as well as Jim Harrison from Jazz Mobile. The speakers included legends like Larry Ridley, Louis Hayes and Harold Mabern.

    Click here for a recent NY Daily News article on the gallery.

    The walls were adorned with the LP covers that Morgan played on as a leader, and as a sideman. Over 125 of them in total. I'm proud to say that I have a good 90+ of them. There were also many unseen, personal photos. Didn't think it was right to start taking pics of that. Nevertheless, I took a some pics of the space, focusing on a few of the covers.

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    Larry Ridley. A wonderful and gracious man. An ambassador and educator of the music, and a treasure trove of information.
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  2. btf1980

    btf1980 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
  3. JimSmiley

    JimSmiley Team Blue Note

    Cool..thanks for sharing!
     
  4. brew ziggins

    brew ziggins Forum Prisoner

    Location:
    The Village
    Nice. Good to hear that there is a corner of the world dedicated to Lee.
     
  5. btf1980

    btf1980 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Agreed. It's well deserved.

    I had a chat with someone prior to this event, and the discussion focused on a lot of the top tier guys in the 50s and 60s who really don't have their just due and are not as appreciated as they should be. Hank Mobley's name came up first. To date, no video footage of him has even surfaced. It has to exist somewhere, in a vault or old warehouse. I find it hard to believe that there is no video footage of him, it's definitely there, but so far, nothing. The idea of a gallery space/exhibit for him was discussed. He definitely deserves it! I'd love to see that happen. We shall see.
     
  6. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    More important than this space--and I agree it is good to know about this, thanks--is the work Alfred Lion did to record so many wonderful sessions of Lee Morgan and Hank Mobley. To basically document them so that we could celebrate so much of their music. While it's too bad about the lack of video footage, the most important gift was the albums in the BN catalog. It's scary to imagine his legacy or lack thereof without it.
     
  7. carledwards

    carledwards Forum Resident

    Very cool. I'd love to see that place.
     
  8. btf1980

    btf1980 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Why put it in those terms? Terms of what holds more importance. I agree that Alfred Lion's work is immeasurable. I love the man, and we are richer because of him, but it's kind of a flippant remark to make, no? It's not a contest about who or what is more important. This space happened because of the work of a friend of Morgan's, not someone he had a work/business relationship with. She dedicated her all to it, pouring time, money and effort. Imagine if you did you something for a friend or relative to honor their life and work, and built a space for them, then had their friends and family show up, then someone says "the is cool, but more important than this space is the work he did with his boss". Think about it.
     
  9. Planbee

    Planbee Negative Nellie

    Location:
    Chicago
    Thanks for posting those pics...very cool!

    It's a sad story about the long and apparently complex relationship Morgan had with the woman who ended up murdering him.
     
  10. btf1980

    btf1980 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    Here are some pics below my friend Henry took. Check out his site here for great photos while you're at it.

    The sax player is Bill Saxton. He has his own club. Here's a video profile on him and his club. http://youtu.be/XX05_owF5js

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  11. btf1980

    btf1980 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
  12. action pact

    action pact Music Omnivore

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    JAZZ POWER.

    I don't know who this man is, but he sure looks like a cool cat!

    Anyway, this whole subject reminds me why I love New York City. My wife and I are anxious to move back.
     
  13. btf1980

    btf1980 Senior Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    That would be Jim Harrison, the honoree of the night. Long time promoter for Jazz Mobile.
     
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