AMG Review of Intensity

Alex Henderson
All Music Guide

Even if the performances on Intensity weren't excellent, this Charles Earland session would be required listening for jazz historians because it marked the last recorded documentation of Lee Morgan. Only two days after Intensity was recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's famous New Jersey studio on February 17, 1972, the influential trumpeter was shot and killed by a girlfriend at the age of 33. Refusing to confine himself to hard bop, Morgan was exploring soul-jazz and fusion during the last years of his life -- and his enthusiasm for soul-jazz is hard to miss on Earland's funky "'Cause I Love Her" as well as inventive interpretations of Chicago's "Happy 'Cause I'm Goin' Home" and the Shirelles' "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." Originally released on LP by Prestige, Intensity was out of print for many years but was reissued on CD in 1999 for Fantasy's Original Jazz Classics (OJC) series. For the CD, Fantasy added two bonus tracks: a passionate remake of Morgan's "Speedball" and a driving version of Chicago's "Lowdown," which shouldn't be confused with Boz Scaggs' 1976 hit. The importance of this reissue cannot be denied.