Morgy Craig - Hoosier Mystic (1999)

An excellent hard bop tenor-saxophonist based in the Midwest who passed away in the latter part of the 1990s, Morgy Craig recorded relatively little during his life. The release of this live performance, therefore, is an important historic event. Craig sounds pretty strong and creative as he digs into eight standards in a quartet with pianist Phil DeGreg, bassist Bob Bodley and drummer Steve Barnes. Craig, other than a few slight hints of Sonny Rollins, had an original sound and a hard-driving yet relaxed improvising style. He sounds in excellent form on such numbers as "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Skylark," "Groovin' High" and "Night And Day" while his verbal announcements between songs are good-humored, informative and quite friendly. J Curve has done the music world a major favor by releasing this tribute to Morgy Craig's music. © Scott Yanow