Dan Morgenstern: A Jazz Legacy

Introduction

Dan Morgenstern, a legendary jazz journalist, historian, and advocate, has shaped the way we understand jazz as both a cultural and musical phenomenon.

With a career spanning decades, he has been a key figure in documenting the evolution of jazz, mentoring writers, and preserving its history for future generations. This page celebrates Morgenstern's life, work, and his profound influence on jazz.

The Dan Morgenstern Collection

Housed at Media Collections at Texas State University , the Dan Morgenstern Collection is the most comprehensive repository of his life's work. It includes:

  • 148 DownBeat Record Reviews: (with Album covers!) Morgenstern's tenure as DownBeat magazine New York editor (1964-66) and chief editor (1967-73) produced insightful reviews of jazz icons like Duke Ellington and Sarah Vaughan, alongside rising stars like the Brecker Brothers. (Full citations)

  • 8 Grammy-Winning Essays: Morgenstern's liner notes for albums such as Art Tatum: God Is in the House and Clifford Brown: The Complete Emarcy Recordings remain definitive examples of jazz journalism.

  • Discovered Historical Performances: lost footage, including the groundbreaking PBS series Just Jazz from 1970, has provided invaluable contributions to jazz history.

Explore the collection here.

Dan Morgenstern has known ‘em all. If he wasn’t having coffee with Charlie Parker or watching Chano Pozo’s amazing Latin show live at the Apollo with Dizzy Gillespie’s big band, then he was at the bar when Hot Lips Page passed out and fell off the stage, was helped up and scolded by Big Sid Catlett (and then, ironically, Sid goes and dies just days later). Or he’s at Louis Armstrong’s home drinking Slivovitz plum brandy with Louis, chatting the night away.

Morgenstern turns 90 years young on October 24, 2019. From the moment he landed in NYC in 1947, 17-years-old and too young to get into a jazz club, he’d hang outside the clubs on the street just to listen to Thelonious Monk, Bird, Diz, and Lester Young. He loaded up on records, too, Musicraft Jazz 78s – 5 for $1.00 – at S. Klein’s on the Union Square. He discovered Symphony Sid McCoy at the tail end of the AM radio dial, and tuned in to the Royal Roost live broadcasts, the “Metropolitan Bopera House” with Bird, Diz, Fats Navarro, Dexter Gordon, Tadd Dameron and Max Roach. After hangin’ with Miles Davis, Morgenstern wrote if he had a bedroom like Miles, he’d never leave. He remembers after the Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter, lost a drag race in Manhattan at 3 a.m. against Davis’s Ferrari, she traded in her Rolls for the famous Bentley just to beat him. And, of course, Dan was backstage at Carnegie Hall with Bird and Diz smoking a joint!

His stories are full of life, rich with intimate, quirky and funny details, and always include a musician’s perspective.  Now, 70 plus-years later, 1947 to 2019, we send our love, our admiration, and gratitude to the person who lived the stories, and told us all about it. Happy Birthday, Dan!

Morgenstern occupies a special position in the professional honor roll of JJA, as recognized by his being honored in 2001 as recipient of its Jazz Award for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Journalism. He is rightly recognized for develoing a unique style of jazz journalism as an engaging story-teller, teaching us the way to hear jazz, what to listen for and how to understand it. He has become the gold standard for generations of writers, critics, and musicians. Morgenstern doesn’t play an instrument (although on occasion he might sing) but he has translated for us the tools and language that the jazz pros use. His reviews and essays explain details of the forms of tunes, the bridges, tags, vamps, key changes, instrument ranges, when and how mistakes were made, how brilliant ideas occurred spontaneously, and even explained practical matters like how a drummer might conveniently “forget” his bass drum at a recording session, just so he could still make his gig later.

Morgenstern was back in the day, and is still now, a street-savvy intellectual. He began his journalism career as the 1953 copy editor for the Brandeis student newspaper, The Justice. Within one year he was promoted to managing editor, then editor-in-chief (1955-56) and editorial advisor (1956). His early articles on international diplomacy, Shakespeare, poetry, philosophy, and socialism include his first jazz review of Stan Getz and Bob Brookmeyer, April 27, 1955.

Since 2018 I’ve been doing research under a NEA grant to commemorate Dan Morgenstern’s career. The Dan Morgenstern Collection is the most complete repository of “Everything Dan.” The collection has several new areas documenting Morgenstern’s life and career.

148 record reviews as DownBeat editor

During his 10 year stint as editor at DownBeat — New York editor 1964 to 1966, and chief editor from 1967 to 1973 — Morgenstern wrote 148 record reviews and managed a team of renowned writers, musicians, and reviewers including Don DeMicheal, Kenny Dorham, Barbara Gardner, Bill Mathieu, Marian McPartland, Harvey Pekar, William Russo, Harvey Siders, Pete Welding, John S. Wilson and Michael Zwerin.

In his 2018 tribute to Dan, Michael Cuscuna recalls his first review for DownBeat: “I sent it to Dan, who was still in Chicago, at the time. And it came back, you know, full of red ink. And I just dove into it, and in spending two hours with that manuscript and his comments and his changes, I learned more about writing than two years of creative writing in journalism than courses could ever give me.”

Ted Panken describes Dan’s reviews: “…his marvelously detailed, and ebullient, and loving liner notes. You are reading someone who is an extreme fan, and someone who has a very strongly typed aesthetic. And someone who really gets into the granular aspect of listening to music on these notes.”

The Morgenstern: Down Beat Record Reviews are a complete source of classic vinyl LP album covers, displaying the great artwork for each artist. They may be clicked to reveal Dan’s review in a text- searchable PDF, a link to the music on YouTube and a Wikipedia/Discogs background entry.

There are five star reviews for so many albums and artists that you can spend hours and hours here. Morgenstern is one of the strongest proponents of classic jazz, and artists including Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Stan Getz, Sarah Vaughan, Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie are well represented. But he covered new artists, too, like Randy Brecker’s debut album Score (including the prediction, “His younger brother Michael, who here makes his recording debut, has fire and guts…he will become a player to reckon with”).

He lavishes praise upon Weather Report’s eponymous debut in a three-page review: “An extraordinary new group merits an extraordinary review…The music of Weather Report is music beyond category. All I can add to what has been said by the men who made it is that it seems to me music unlike any other I’ve heard, music that is very contemporary but also very warm, very human, and very beautiful.”

Morgenstern could be tough, too, as when he gave one raspberry in 1970 to the Zeet Band for Moogie Woogie, calling the Moog synthesizer “this questionable invention.”

There’s also a surprising side to Morgenstern’s open-mindedness, as when he takes the time to review and rate highly the Beatles Abbey Road, extolling the Lennon and McCartney partnership, great melodies, and the superb production work by George Martin. “Is there anyone who doesn’t like the Beatles?… it can all be summed up in that old, unfashionable phrase ‘good taste’ — plus genuine musicality and poetic imagination.”

Many artists, nearly forgotten, garnered his five star record reviews during Morgenstern’s reign at DownBeat and so deserve to be re-evaluated.

8 Grammy winning essays for record albums

Morgenstern‘ award-winning Grammy essays for vinyl LP record and cd collections began in 1973 and extended through 2010. They cover five decades of jazz. In the 1970s he won three Grammys, first for Art Tatum’s God Is In The House. Morgenstern not only knew Tatum well, but presented him as a soloist for the first time, for which Tatum was extremely grateful. Dan described the pianist’s album as
“one of the most remarkable pieces of improvised jazz music ever captured by a recording device.”

In 1974 he annotated Coleman Hawkins’ The Hawk Flies. “Hawk” (or “Bean” to many of his musician friends) and Morgenstern were good friends, and as Dan shows with his respect, understanding and love in a poignant tribute.

In 1976 he wrote about The Changing Face of Harlem. No one knows Harlem jazz, the way it was and what it has become, better than Dan Morgenstern. He lived it. He lovingly remembers the swing, the “jump,” and the bebop of Harlem in this detailed compilation of Harlem jazz from the early Savoy sessions.

In 1981 Dan won the Grammy for album notes to Erroll Garner, Master of the Keyboard. This two-record set contains 30 Garner performances between 1961 and 1970. Morgenstern’s essay, introduction, personnel listing, recording dates, and his personal friendship and recollections of pianist Garner are a definitive example of fine jazz journalism, coupling detailed research with loving devotion for a superlative musician. (An aside: This was a Book of the Month record, long out of print. After long searching I found a copy in a Catholic school for women, which I borrowed to as to transcribe Dan’s notes.)

In the 1990s Morgenstern won two more Grammys: in 1990 for Clifford Brown: The Complete Emarcy Recordings (Dan wrote: “The annals of jazz can supply material for dozens of tragedies — some self-inflicted, some caused by the whims of fate. But none seems more senseless and arbitrary than the death of Clifford Brown (not yet 26 years old).” This collection is painstakingly assembled by renowned reissue producer Kiyoshi Koyama, a lifelong friend of Morgenstern’s.

In 1994, writing about Louis_Armstrong – Portrait-of-the-Artist-as-a-Young-Man-1923-1934 Morgenstern provided musical commentaries on each track, as well as the definitive essay on Armstrong’s early life. After 2000, Dan undertook more writing assignments of essays for cd compilations, including in 2006 Fats Waller & His Rhythm -If You Got to Ask, You Ain’t Got It!  Dan’s abilities to understand a professional musician, his wonderful storytelling, historical precision, wealth of detail, and personal recollections elevated what had been mere album notes to full-fledged essays.

Filmography

An often overlooked aspect of Morgenstern’s career, his contributions to film and tv, especially jazz documentaries, need more recognition. His broad work in jazz documentaries as writer, advisor, music consultant, and cast member include:

Artist Video Portraits

I’ve produced a few new videos with Dan narrating his personal recollections of Gillespie, Holiday, Dameron, Symphony Sid, Baroness Nica, “Big” Sid, and more! They are CC Close Captioned, and the transcript is text searchable.

Portrait of Baroness Nica

Dan recalls the Baroness Pannonica de Koenigswarter. A patron of bebop and devotee of Monk, her generosity extended to other musicians, as well, providing food, safe haven and money to get pawned instruments back. Her apartment on Manhattan’s ritzy Fifth Avenue was an after-hours place to hang out and jam until she was forced to leave after Charlie Parker died there. Many musicians have paid tribute to her generosity with songs dedicated to her in name or spirit (e.g., Monk’s ‘Pannonica’ and ‘Bolivar Blues’).

Dan on “Big” Sid Catlett 

Sidney “Big Sid” Catlett (January 17, 1910 – March 25, 1951) was an American jazz drummer. Catlett was one of the most versatile drummers of his era, adapting with the changing music scene as it progressed toward bebop.

Dan on Record Collecting Morgenstern remembers the stores, junk shops, magazines, collectors, and, of course, the records of the 1940’s and ’50s.

Dan on Billie Holiday He remembers seeing and hearing Billie Holiday perform live, and the remarkable magic in her skill of expressing emotion.

Dan Recalls Dizzie Gillespie and all his fellow musicians

Dan on Tadd Dameron He cultivated a friendship with bebop’s “Romantic” arranger

Dan on Jazz Radio 1947 with Symphony Sid He recalls his first night in NYC in 1947, finding jazz on the radio.

Dan on Eddie Durham, San Marcos, Texas’ native jazz legend in “The Arranging and Compositional Pen of Southwestern Jazz,” assisted by Phil Schapp and Loren Schoenberg. I have sponsored Morgenstern as keynote speaker at an annual Eddie Durham Celebration in Durham’s home town for the last 13 years.

Interviews

People have been interviewing Morgenstern for decades. His insights are invaluable.

Other research areas in The Dan Morgenstern Collection include his lectures (includes Library of Congress Jazz Scholar Lecture Series, a forum On The History Of The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, and a rare discussion from Dan on the dying art of liner notes in the music world, and tributes (from people who have worked with Morgenstern in the record industry, as writers, producers and contributors to DownBeat when Dan was senior editor.

Editor | Author | Producer Don’t fail to see Dan’s lost NY Jazz Museum events programs.

The Institute of Jazz Studies includes Dan’s video tour of the institute.

Dan and Louis Armstrong’s close relationship Morgenstern speaks of the Armstrong tribute at the Newport Jazz Festival, and discusses the Complete Louis Armstrong Decca Sessions.

I am this year’s winner of the FY2020 Morroe Berger-Benny Carter-Edward Berger Jazz Research Fellowship Award at the Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS) for my work on Dan. I am meeting with Vincent Pelote at IJS, and we are researching Dan’s missing historical items, and we’ll get them added online to the Dan Morgenstern Collection. I hope to add more and more about Dan!

Dan was surprised when I sent him the link to his collection in August 2019.

He wrote back:

“Dear Hank,
This is truly amazing! I had no inkling of this and after catching my breath am of course delighted and flattered. Amazed at what you’ve uncovered and think I can fill in a few gaps. A nice man sent me a few WBGO show he’d taped years ago, and the Just Jazz shows that survived are at IJS, it took decades to get them uncovered. I have of course done a huge number of liner notes and never attempted to collect. But there’s a box of duplicate LPs that I put together while still at IJS that may survive. I also have a very few WBGO Jazz from the Archives items and Vincent at IJS will know if the reels we salvaged (the station never archived anything as far as I know). Loren and I did stuff on WKCR he might have. But what you already have gathered is astonishing!

Thanks so much and hope to see you soon, Dan

Dan Morgenstern can’t be thanked enough for the love and hard work, and advocacy he has devoted to jazz and the chance for us all to be a part of his amazing journey through a lifetime of astonishing experiences. After all is said and done, we want to wish Dan the happiest 90th birthday.

A Friendship Rooted in Jazz and Scholarship

My relationship with Dan Morgenstern has been one of the most profound and rewarding connections in my career. Our friendship has been a unique blend of mentorship, mutual admiration, and serendipitous discoveries. When I began documenting Dan’s extraordinary life and career through my 2019 NEA Research Grant, I had no idea the journey would lead me to reflect on my own path as both a musician and a researcher.

Our connection, however, began long before 2019. In a moment of realization during one of our many rich conversations, Dan and I discovered an incredible bond that stretched back 45 years: he was on the NEA panel that awarded me my very first NEA Jazz Composition Grant in 1979. That grant not only validated my work but also opened doors that would shape my future as a composer and performer.

Dan’s influence on me extends far beyond his support during those pivotal moments. His encyclopedic knowledge of jazz, his dedication to preserving its history, and his passion for storytelling have inspired me to approach jazz research as its own artistic and intellectual pursuit. Through our conversations, I came to see jazz research not as a secondary endeavor but as a vital and meaningful way to contribute to the art form I love.

Whether it was hearing Dan recount the intricate details of jazz history or reflecting on his monumental contributions to the field, I found myself driven to follow in his footsteps—not just as a performer but as someone dedicated to preserving and uncovering the untold stories of jazz. It’s this shared mission of keeping jazz’s legacy alive that has fueled my work over the past decade.

Dan’s mentorship, friendship, and belief in the power of jazz as a unifying force have left an indelible mark on my life. His example has taught me that the act of researching, documenting, and sharing the stories of jazz is just as important as performing it. Today, as I continue to explore the intersection of jazz performance and scholarship, I do so with deep gratitude for the lessons I’ve learned from one of jazz’s greatest advocates and historians.

Dan Morgenstern: A Legacy in Jazz Advocacy, Education, and Writing

Books Authored

  • Jazz People (1977, H.N. Abrams) – Winner of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award.

  • Living with Jazz (2004, Pantheon Books) – Winner of the ASCAP Deems Taylor Award.

  • The Great Jazz Day (2002, Da Capo Press).

Anthology Contributions

  • The Louis Armstrong Companion

  • The Duke Ellington Reader

  • Reading Jazz

  • Setting the Tempo

  • The Miles Davis Companion

  • The Lester Young Reader

Major Awards

  • 8-Time Grammy Winner for Best Album Notes (1973, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1991, 1995, 2006).

  • ASCAP Deems Taylor Awards:

    • Jazz People (1977).

    • Living with Jazz (2005).

Career Highlights

  • Contributor to prestigious reference works, including the New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, Dictionary of American Music, and African-American Almanac.

  • Promoted the preservation of jazz as a cultural treasure through NEA Jazz Master advocacy, including his influence in establishing the NEA Jazz Master for Jazz Advocacy Award.

  • Rediscovered and preserved iconic jazz performances, including the groundbreaking PBS series Just Jazz (1970).

Personal Stories and Impact

Dan Morgenstern's encyclopedic knowledge of jazz, profound storytelling ability, and tireless advocacy have left an indelible mark on the world of music. His close relationships with artists and his unwavering dedication to jazz's cultural legacy have enriched the art form and inspired countless musicians, writers, and educators.

From his early years at Metronome and Jazz Review to his pivotal roles at Rutgers University and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Morgenstern’s career is a testament to his belief in the transformative power of jazz.

Key Roles and Contributions

  • Director of the Institute of Jazz Studies (IJS) at Rutgers University (1976–2012):
    Managed one of the world's largest jazz archives, fostering research and preservation.

  • Editor-in-Chief, DownBeat (1967–1973):
    Shaped jazz journalism as the voice of DownBeat, having served earlier as New York Editor (1964–1967).

  • Jazz Critic & Writer:

    • New York Post

    • Chicago Sun Times (Record Reviewer)

    • Jazz Journal (England) – New York Correspondent

    • Swing Journal (Japan) – Columnist

  • Educator:

    • Faculty: Masters Program in Jazz History and Research, Rutgers University

    • Lecturer: Peabody Institute at Johns Hopkins University, Brooklyn College, New York University, and the Schweitzer Institute of Music.

    • Faculty, Institutes in Jazz Criticism (Smithsonian Institution & Music Critics Association).

Other Notable Roles

  • Board Member:

    • American Jazz Orchestra

    • New York Jazz Museum

    • Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation

    • Mary Lou Williams Foundation

  • Member: Denmark’s International JAZZPAR Prize Committee.

  • Co-Founder: Jazz Institute of Chicago.

Album Annotation and Promotion

  • Authored hundreds of liner notes for record albums, many of which earned critical acclaim.

  • Jazz Concert Producer, including MOMA’s “Jazz in the Garden” series.

A Personal Connection: My Journey with Dan Morgenstern

My relationship with Dan Morgenstern began decades ago, but it reached a new level when I undertook the 2018 NEA Jazz Research Fellowship to document his legacy. Among the highlights of our collaboration:

  1. Discovering "Just Jazz": Unearthing footage from Dan's PBS show Just Jazz, showcasing rare performances and insightful commentary.

  2. Sharing Texas BBQ: A memorable afternoon sharing Texas BBQ, where Dan's encyclopedic knowledge of jazz shone through in casual conversation.

  3. NEA Legacy: Dan served on the NEA Reviewers Board that awarded me my first National Endowment for the Arts grant in 1979, marking a pivotal moment in my career.

Dan Morgenstern's Impact

  • Filmography: Morgenstern contributed to seminal jazz documentaries, including Ken Burns' Jazz and Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser. His involvement as an advisor and cast member reflects his deep expertise and personal connections.

  • Oral History & Interviews: His interviews with the Smithsonian Jazz Oral History Program and NEA Jazz Masters highlight his lifelong dedication to jazz as an art form.

  • Advocate and Mentor: As a storyteller and critic, Morgenstern has mentored generations of writers and musicians, shaping how we interpret jazz's rich tapestry.

Honoring Dan Morgenstern

In 2019, on his 90th birthday, I reflected on Dan's enduring legacy in a feature for the Jazz Journalists Association. Dan's storytelling captures the essence of jazz, from backstage anecdotes with Louis Armstrong to his passionate defense of underappreciated artists.

Why Dan Morgenstern Matters

Dan Morgenstern's work reminds us that jazz is not just music—it's a story, a culture, and a way of life. His ability to illuminate the lives of jazz musicians has bridged the gap between the audience and the art, ensuring that the spirit of jazz continues to thrive.

Photos and Media

  • Dan at 90: A celebratory image of Dan reflecting on his life's work.

  • Rediscovered Performances: Stills from Just Jazz.

  • Morgenstern & Armstrong: A rare photo capturing Dan's friendship with Louis Armstrong.