Mo Morgen, who moved to Beacon in 2023, has been a jazz musician in New York City and Miami for more than 50 years. He performs at lunchtime on weekdays at Carters Restaurant & Lounge at 424 Main St.
How were you first exposed to music?
My brother, who was 11 years older, was a pretty good classical pianist. When I was 11, I was given a clarinet and did my exercises with classical pieces. But I heard jazz on the radio and it took over. After learning the clarinet, I moved to the saxophone because it was much more of a jazz instrument at the time. Since then, I have been self-taught. I never expected to be a professional musician — I just wanted to be in the scene. Many things happened by accident.
What is your favorite instrument?
It’s changed over 50 years, but now it’s a curved soprano saxophone. Earlier it was a little soprano saxophone, and I played the bass clarinet for a long time. Over the years, I played the tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone and alto saxophone. As I get older, I can’t get away with carrying heavy instruments, so I have been going for lighter ones. I find that it’s more my voice to play the higher-pitched instruments.
What do you enjoy most about playing music?
It can’t be matched. You play within a framework, but you’re free to make it go wherever you want. Also, it depends on whether you’re playing with other people or by yourself. I was always someone who led a band. I played the saxophone and sang a little and worked in smaller spaces. Then along came DJs and [societal] problems with drinking alcohol and people in small places could no longer afford to hire groups of musicians. I figured, what I am going to do? I had always dabbled in the keyboard, so in 1999 I decided to become a keyboard player and sing.
How did a Brooklyn native end up in Miami?
I started out playing at JazzMania in Manhattan. It was in a loft — several musicians had studios in industrial buildings — and it became a popular venue for all kinds of music in the 1970s and 1980s. But lofts became a thing for wealthy people, and they didn’t want loud music in their homes, so we got driven out. I had a 10-year run with that and some of the world’s greatest musicians were available to me because they lived in New York. I didn’t go to Miami because of the music scene; I wanted a warmer climate and my parents and brother lived there. I started investigating the jazz scene. I found so many great musicians who were unknown, so I opened a club, Mo Jazz Cafe. It wasn’t like New York; we were able to draw people in just because the musicians who played there were great local artists.
You played for Tony Bennett. How did that happen?
In 1998, when he was 72, he wrote his autobiography. He came to Miami Beach to sign copies at a large bookstore that had a piano. I had performed at the bookstore, so I called the owner and asked if they had any music for Tony Bennett. The owner said, “Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Do you want to do something?” I played right next to him for the whole night. I tried to get him to sing but he just wanted to sign books. He was still thrilled to have us there. It was a great experience. He was truly an amazing performer.
