Frank Morgan Dies

A couple of years ago, shortly after Frank Morgan had released “Raising the Standard: Live at the Jazz Standard, Vol. 2," I compared Morgan to Harry Bosch, Michael Connelly's fictional detective who idolized the great alto saxophonist. Both had slain personal demons (Morgan drugs, Bosch alcohol) and returned to top professional form. In my mind, though, reality trumps fiction in this instance.

Drugs and prison kept Morgan, who died Friday a few days short of his 74th birthday, from recording for 30 years. But Morgan had to stage two comebacks. After resuming his career in the '80s, Morgan suffered a stroke in 1998; Morgan returned from that, too, and recorded some of his best albums in the last years of his life.

If you've never listened to Morgan's music, check out "Frank Morgan," released in 1955; "You Must Believe in Spring," released in 1992; and "Reflections," released in 2005. My favorite, though, is "Quiet Fire," a live album Morgan recorded with Bud Shank in 1987. On it, you can hear the spirit that enabled Morgan to fight through his problems. On "Solar," for example, you hear the embodiment of Charlie Parker, Morgan's idol, as he battles Shank in a fiery bebop duel. And on "Emily," you hear Morgan's inner strength in an elegant duet with pianist George Cables.

I'm not a big fan of movie biopics — they usually turn the protagonists into simplistic cartoon characters — but if ever there was a musician worthy of a film, it's Morgan.