A superb altoist who is a bit underrated due to living in Los Angeles and not leading that many sessions of his own, Lanny Morgan grew up in L.A. He worked (starting in 1954) in the big bands of Charlie Barnet, Si Zenter, Terry Gibbs, and Bob Florence, served in the military (which prevented him from joining Stan Kenton) and then spent the 1960-1965 period playing with Maynard Ferguson's Orchestra. After freelancing in New York, he returned to Los Angeles in 1969. Morgan became a busy studio musician, a permanent member of Supersax, and a reliable soloist in big bands led by Bill Berry, Bob Florence, and Bill Holman. Lanny Morgan has led fine albums for Palo Alto (1981), V.S.O.P. (1993), and Contemporary (1996), and he still has few peers on "Cherokee." ~ Scott Yanow