39- “Blue Train” and Lee Morgan

Standards Rating 7, Difficulty Rating 3

"Blue Train," the title track from John Coltrane's 1958 album Blue Train, is a defining piece of hard bop jazz. The composition is a 12-bar blues in the key of Eb, featuring sophisticated harmonic alterations like #9 and #11 chords, which add modern tension to the traditional blues structure. The melody is simple yet engaging, with call-and-response patterns reminiscent of gospel music. The solos, particularly from Coltrane and Lee Morgan, stand out on the original recording. Lee Morgan, a Philadelphia-born trumpet prodigy, made a significant contribution to jazz. Influenced by Clifford Brown, Morgan had already recorded as a leader by 1956 and played in Dizzy Gillespie’s Big Band before the Blue Train recordings. After Blue Train, Morgan joined Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and became a key figure in the hard bop movement. His 1964 album The Sidewinder was a major commercial success, marking his comeback after overcoming heroin addiction. Tragically, Morgan was shot and killed in 1972 at the age of 33, but his legacy as one of jazz’s most influential trumpeters endures.

Curated Playlist https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5bla6DuepTMq3kdzUlXTy7?si=ae04712a5e334078

John Coltrane https://youtu.be/HT_Zs5FKDZE?si=s1h5mcTO-gufgvb0

Pancho Sanchez https://youtu.be/aNwRKFJi8XU?si=Y7HCak0Ffc9cboMx