Morris Lane, tenor sax - Heard of him?

PaintedPostDave · December-30th-2005, 08:02 PM

I recently got a cd entitled "Memorial/Fats Navarro" which features Fats, Kinney Durham, Bud Powell & Kenny Clarke. Several tracks have solos by a Morris Lane. He sounds fine and I would expect to see references to him in "The Encylcopedia of Jazz" or other books on jazz but I find nothing. There are occasional references to him on the web but mostly on discography listings. Could Morris Lane be a psuedonym? Does any one know anything about him?

Nate Dorward · December-30th-2005, 10:12 PM

Nope, I'm afraid. If you don't get a response here you should try the Organissimo board elsewhere on the web, where heavyduty discography types like Mike Fitzgerald, Larry Kart, Mike Weil, &c hang out. They'll definitely have an answer.

Ron Thorne · December-31st-2005, 04:32 PM

I hadn't neard of Morris Lane until seeing this thread.

A quick Google search reveals that it's not a pseudonym. Here's a reference to Lane from a website regarding an old independent Chicago record label, Seymour.

"Promoting Hamp's upcoming show at the Opera House was a series of photos with the headline "'King of Vibes' and His Royal Court Here Sunday." Among the personnel listed in the band were Johnny Griffin and Kenny Mann. Emphasizing the hometown angle, one of the captions said: "Johnny Griffin, young DuSable high school alumnus, will match his sensatinal saxophone against that of Kenny Mann, former Hirsch high school and Roosevelt College student." We don't know exactly when Mann left the band, but he and Griffin were both gone by June 1947, when Hamp recorded with horns again for the first time since September 1946 and featured his new tenor team of Morris Lane and John Sparrow."

You'll find numerous references to Morris Lane online, including a couple of albums featuring "honkin' and screamin' saxophonists." Here's one in a series of two such albums which features (among others) Morris Lane And His Orchestra.

Squaredancecalling Steve · December-31st-2005, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron Thorne

Here's one in a series of two such albums which features (among others) Morris Lane And His Orchestra.

There are actually three in that series, Ron. I've got them all, and love them dearly. On Delmark.

Ron Thorne · December-31st-2005, 07:09 PM

Thanks for the correction and recommendation, Steve. Somehow I missed Vol. 3.

It looks as though Morris Lane is only on Vol. 2 of this series.

bluenoter · December-31st-2005, 07:28 PM

I found two sources saying that Morris Lane died in 1967 in Gary, IN. Normally, I'd recommend looking him up in AMG online ( http://www.allmusic.com ), but its credits for Lane are thoroughly screwed up; they seem to include the work of at least two other people who aren't him. That's not terribly unusual for AMG.

Re #1: PaintedPostDave, please! It's Kenny Dorham, not Kinney Durham.

Welcome to JC.

PaintedPostDave · January-1st-2006, 10:26 AM

Thanks for the response. I chose "Kinney" because I have seen him referred to by that name and apparently his formal name is McKinley Dorham (although I have to admit that his name is often messed up). But, yes, Kenny is better.

bluenoter · January-1st-2006, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaintedPostDave

Thanks for the response. I chose "Kinney" because I have seen him referred to by that name and apparently his formal name is McKinley Dorham (although I have to admit that his name is often messed up). But, yes, Kenny is better.

Thanks. In #1, there was also "Durham."

So have the responses above helped? "Morris Lane" doesn't appear to have been a pseudonym.

Pete C · January-1st-2006, 12:09 PM

All this talk about Morris Lane. Show a little love for Eddie De Verteuil.

Mike P · January-2nd-2006, 03:56 PM

Wasn't Morris Lane with Lionel Hampton's band? I know he made records under his own name for Savoy & Apollo in the 40's.

Ron Thorne · January-3rd-2006, 12:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike P

Wasn't Morris Lane with Lionel Hampton's band?

Yes, indeed. I alluded to that in post #3.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete C

All this talk about Morris Lane. Show a little love for Eddie De Verteuil.

No problem.

Eddie, you were one of the best! Sorry I never got to hear you on bari (or alto) in-person.

You are loved.

PaintedPostDave · January-3rd-2006, 10:09 AM

Yes, the response helped - thanks. It's interesting how many responses the question about Morris generated. Jazzcorner is a neat place.

PaintedPostDave · January-3rd-2006, 10:12 AM

I get a big kick out of listening to Mr. De Verteuil push that bari around. I first heard him on "Royal Roost" with the same Kenny Clarke aggregation...then on the Fats Navarro Memorial album refered to above. His solo lines are sometimes kind of similar tune to tune, as are Bud Powell's. I am rather surprized about that.