Latest Release
- FEB 3, 2024
- 82 Songs
- The Sidewinder (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition Remastered) · 1963
- Cornbread · 1965
- Cornbread · 1965
- Cornbread · 1965
- Cornbread · 1965
- Search for the New Land (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition Remastered) · 1964
- The Procrastinator · 1967
- The Sidewinder (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition Remastered) · 1963
- The Sidewinder (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition Remastered) · 1963
- The Gigolo (The Rudy Van Gelder Edition) [Remastered] · 1965
Essential Albums
- Trumpeter Lee Morgan’s The Sidewinder is a landmark of 1960s soul jazz that has gone on to influence generations of artists. One big reason is the popular title track, which crossed over to the pop charts. “The Sidewinder” cruises along on a buoyant rhythm driven by bassist Bob Cranshaw, drummer Billy Higgins, and pianist Barry Harris. The head, as catchy as a pop tune, is played by Morgan and tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson with great style. But the rest of the pieces, all by Morgan, are also very good. The Latin-tinged “Totem Pole” features a fine trumpet solo that utilizes a variety of timbres, and Henderson’s statement is at least as good. “Gary’s Notebook” has an edgier, more modernist theme, along with solos by the horns and Harris. The bluesy “Boy, What a Night” swings fiercely, thanks in large part to Higgins. The album closes with “Hocus Pocus,” which feels like a standard, but is actually another Morgan original. It’s a delight to hear Higgins bust out here.
- 2021
Artist Playlists
- Funky soul-jazz compositions and fiery hard-bop solos on trumpet.
- In the span of his few short years, he became a legend.
- The furthest reaches of his vast catalog contained greatness.
Singles & EPs
Live Albums
Compilations
- 2004
- 1998
Appears On
- Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
More To Hear
- Kamasi Washington picks the 5 Best Songs on Apple Music.
About Lee Morgan
Trumpet hero Lee Morgan was one of the key figures of the hard-grooving, R&B-informed jazz subgenre known as hard bop. Born in Philadelphia in 1938, the precocious Morgan was only 18 when he started playing with Dizzy Gillespie, and he recorded his first album under his own name at the same age. The following year, he played on John Coltrane’s classic Blue Train, and at age 20 he joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, contributing to some of the band’s most beloved recordings. The butt-shaking groove and earworm melody of “The Sidewinder” (from Morgan’s album of the same name) made the song a surprise pop crossover success in 1964, helping to cement hard bop’s profile and Morgan’s career path. He recorded a slew of top-tier albums for Blue Note through the rest of the decade, working with Jackie McLean, Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine, and many others. It all came to a tragically early end when Morgan was shot to death by his girlfriend after an argument in 1972, but the trumpeter’s trailblazing work paved the way for neo-bop work trumpeters such as Wallace Roney and Nicholas Payton.
- HOMETOWN
- Shreveport, LA, United States
- BORN
- July 10, 1938
- GENRE
- Jazz