I Called Him Morgan

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Monday, February 6th, 2017
7:00 PM to 8:30 PM

Cited by his peers as the most talented trumpeter of his generation, Lee Morgan was playing with the giants while still in his teens. Then, in 1972, at the age of 33, his wife, Helen Morgan, walked into the East Village bar Slug’s Saloon, come to see her husband, Lee, whom she had nursed through heroin addiction. They fought, he physically threw her out, she walked back in and shot him, then handed over her gun and waited for the police to arrive. Despite all that chaos, this documentary is a love letter to two singular personalities. Jazz director Kasper Collin hooks you from the opening scenes and then slides the film towards a conclusion imbued with suspense. I Called Him Morgan is a visual triumph in its effective use of archival footage and great televised musical performances, including one with Morgan and Art Blakey blowing out Dat Dere. There is a vast collection of compelling stills that capture the era, but it is the candid interview with Helen that reveals the most -- if not the entire tale.