<p> Saxophonist Frank Morgan was on a path towards greatness, following in the footsteps of his esteemed mentor Charlie Parker. With a debut album released in 1955, he was hailed as the next Bird. Unfortunately for Morgan, he became involved with the drug culture that was destroying Parker. Struggling with a heroin addiction and crimes associated with it, Morgan ended up spending nearly thirty years of his life in prison. He did not release another album until 1985.</p><p> This project report is an examination of Morgan's dynamic life story: his early years, initial successes, drug addiction, incarceration, and later years. In it, recordings both before and after Morgan's long absence in prison are examined. Transcriptions link Morgan's interpretations and improvisations to Charlie Parker, Art Pepper, Dexter Gordon, Frank Sinatra, among others. Finally, the drug culture associated with jazz is discussed, focusing on Morgan's mission to promote the avoidance of it.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:1527925 |
| Date | 13 August 2014 |
| Creators | Fabus, Jason Peterson |
| Publisher | California State University, Long Beach |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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