Raising the Standard

Raising the Standard (subtitled Live at the Jazz Standard Vol. 2) is a live album by saxophonist Frank Morgan which was recorded at the Jazz Standard in 2003 and released on the HighNote label in 2005.^[1][2][3]

Raising the Standard
Live album by Frank Morgan
Released	June 28, 2005
Recorded	November 28–30, 2003
Venue	Jazz Standard, NYC
Genre	Jazz
Length	59:57
Label	HighNote HCD 7143
Producer	Reggie Marshall
Frank Morgan chronology
City Nights: Live at the Jazz Standard (2004) Raising the Standard (2005) Reflections (2006)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
All About Jazz	[4]
All About Jazz	[5]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[6]

Writing for All About Jazz, Joel Roberts observed "It charts little new ground but serves up some of the best, most authentic modern bebop you're likely to hear anywhere" stating "Raising the Standard is another fine effort by one of jazz's most inspiring artists".^[4] On the same site Jack Bowers said "Raising the Standard is another impressive tour de force for Morgan and his mates, one that is easily recommended".^[5]

In JazzTimes, David Franklin noted "Almost 70 at the time and having suffered a stroke five years earlier, Morgan still plays with youthful exuberance".^[7] In The Japan Times, Michael Pronko wrote "This straight-on jazz has all the pretences stripped away, and however they were stripped away, the result is inspiring".^[8]

Track listing

1. "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" (Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke) – 5:03
2. "Footprints" (Wayne Shorter) – 8:39
3. "Nefertiti" (Shorter) – 2:50
4. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" (Duke Ellington, Bob Russell) – 9:37
5. "Old Folks" (Willard Robison, Dedette Lee Hill) – 5:26
6. "Tune Up" (Miles Davis) – 8:45
7. "In a Sentimental Mood" (Ellington) – 4:58
8. "Helen's Song" (George Cables) – 7:26
9. "Bessie's Blues" (John Coltrane) – 7:10

Personnel

Performance

• Frank Morgan – alto saxophone
• George Cables – piano
• Curtis Lundy – bass
• Billy Hart – drums

Production

• Reggie Marshall – producer
• Randall Funke – engineer

References

1. Frank Morgan discography accessed February 22, 2019
2. Jazz Depot: HighNote discography - album details accessed February 22, 2019
3. Frank Morgan Leader Entry accessed February 22, 2019
4. Roberts, J., All About Jazz Review, accessed February 22, 2019
5. Bowers, J., All About Jazz Review, accessed February 22, 2019
6. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1038. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
7. Franklin, D., JazzTimes Review, accessed February 22, 2019
8. Pronko, M., The Japan Times Review, accessed February 22, 2019