Ten underrated jazz musicians by Mike Farmer - Part Two.

5. Marion Brown (1931-2010 ). A very interesting alto sax player and composer who in the sixties played alongside members of the avant-guarde and loft scene. He had a piercing sound on alto which was well captured on the album Porto Rico which had Han Bennick on board. I  no longer have this LP which I think was on the Fontana label but I still have his tribute LP to his friend Archie Shepp Three for Shepp on Impulse which is a good example of his composing skills. I saw him at a jam session in a small room during the North Sea Jazz Festival  and I took a photo which I have hanging on my kitchen wall!

6. Phil Urso (1925-2008). A hard-driving tenorman who I first heard on a 10” LP that teamed him with Bob Brookmeyer, Horace Silver and Kenny Clarke. I somehow mislaid the LP; the music was great but I also thought the cover was cool with every one wearing sharp clothes. In 1973 I was in New York and I went to the Half Note to hear Chet Baker who was getting back to work after a long period of inactivity He brought along to the gig his friend Phil Urso who played some nice solos and helped Chet out on themes like Barbados Chet’s chops were in bad shape and he was playing a trumpet borrowed from Art Farmer who was at the back of the room. You can hear Urso on Chet’s CD Playboys also known as Picture of Heath.

7. Frank Morgan  (1933-2007). I used to have a Wardell Grey Memorial album which contained some tracks featuring Morgan and I liked what he was doing. Unfortunately he spent many years in and out of jail, then made a come-back which was widely covered by the media.  I managed to see him at the aptly-named Come Back Inn in Malibu California and he was sounding more like Bird than any other bop alto saxman. On the gig was the wonderful Sherman Ferguson drums, Larry Gales bass and
Cecil Barnard on piano. What a great gig and the pizza was good also! Mike