Celebrating Lee Morgan’s Life, Artistry and Slugs’ Saloon
With Performances by a prominent NYC Jazz Quintet
Presented by WhiteBox as part of 9B9’s Build-Out Series
In association with Blueprint for Accountability and 2B&2C
Saturday, February 19 @ 6:30 PM
9 Avenue B
New York, NY 10009
–> Tickets Available for Purchase Here <–
Artists:
Alphonso Horne | Trumpet
Chris Lewis | Sax
Jonathan Thomas | Piano
Marty Jaffe | Bass
Darrian Douglas | Drums
“IT’S ALL MUSIC” will focus on the life and art of beloved trumpet player, Lee Morgan, one of the great trumpet players of his generation.
The evening will take place on February 19, 2022, the 50th anniversary of Lee’s untimely demise while playing at Slugs’, and will feature a quintet of some of the best young jazz musicians playing in New York today. In addition, there will be virtual guest appearances by jazz veterans, including figures with direct connections to Lee’s famous Blue Note recordings.
The performance will also salute the rough and tumble jazz club, Slugs’ a favourite of jazz players of the period and an important part of the vibrant art and jazz scene in downtown New York in the 60’s and 70’s. Our venue, 9B9, is located around the corner from Slugs’ original location, and we are proud to bring its important heritage to today’s audiences. Although Lee Morgan died too young, at the age of 33, his work, both as a composer and instrumentalist, continues to his influence musicians to this day.
About Slugs’ Saloon
Slugs’ Saloon opened its doors in 1964, a neighborhood bar owned by Robert Schoenholt, who died in 2012, and Jerry Schultz. By early 1965, many musicians who lived in the neighborhood convinced the owners to feature live jazz. The club rivaled the Five Spot Café as one of the top jazz spots in the East Village.
Despite its implication, Slugs’ took its name from the book All and Everything by mystic George Gurdjieff, who referred to three-brained humans as “slugs.” New York law in the ‘60s prohibited the name “saloon,” so the club re-branded itself – keeping the apostrophe – as “Slugs’ in the Far East.”
– Frank Mastropolo for Bedford and Bowery
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