Candy

Lee Morgan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B000005H4Q
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #282,290 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Astute listeners know that the very first Blue Note CD issues are sonically superior to the more recent RVG remasters. Well, these XRCD24s absolutely crush them both, displaying high-frequency air, midrange presence, and bottom-end definition and weight missing on earlier CDs and many LPs as well. --Mark Mickelson, TheAudioBeat.com

Blue Note has never sounded this good on CD before - these are the first digital Blue Notes that come close to the sound of vinyl. And the packaging is outstanding. I love the high quality glossy covers, and the insert booklets are the first effort I've seen to fit high quality photography into such a small package. Keep up the good work! --Dennis Davis, Hi-Fi+

Compared to the 45 r.p.m. vinyl, the LPs still have a slight edge in smoothness and liquidity, but thanks to the XRCD process and the care that was taken transferring these albums directly from the original analog masters, these CD's have to be approaching the limit of what the compact disc is capable of resolving. Instrument timbre is stunningly real, and the amount of air and decay present on these recordings will make the uninitiated swear that there is a record playing on a turntable somewhere. I've never heard this music sound this good in any digital format. --Jeff Dorgay, TONEAudio

Product Description

This classic Blue Note session finds trumpeter Lee Morgan not having to battle other horns, just front-and-center with an all-star trio behind him. This was his only quartet recording as a leader, for Blue Note. The exquisite Sonny Clark on piano, Doug Watkins' solid bass and the ever-tasteful Art Taylor behind the drums complete these sessions recorded in Hackensack by RVG in Nov. '57 and Feb. '58. Loaded with standards, it's a hard-bop masterpiece that both swings and shows the ballad side of one of the defining young trumpeters from the late '50s - early '60s. Not discounting the contributions from the rhythm section, the high-caliber interplay between just trumpet and piano is a rare treat and a marvel to behold. --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Candy" Is Oh So Sweet, September 27, 2000

By 

Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Candy (Audio CD)

Since the review below is not very informative, I thought I'd try to write one that is. "Candy" is the last of Lee Morgan's six 1950s sessions for Blue Note. With the sweet lineup of Sonny Clark on piano, Doug Watkins on bass and Art Taylor on drums, this is Lee's only quartet recording as a leader. "Candy" is a classic swinging, hard bop affair recorded on November 18, 1957. It features an all-standard repertoire, with the exception of Jimmy Heath's "C.T.A," which come to think of it, is probably a standard too nowadays. Morgan didn't record again as a leader until the 1960 album "Leeway," but in 1958 he did appear on classics like Jimmy Smith's "The Sermon" and Hank Mobley's "Peckin' Time" among others before joining Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers in October of that year. (If you're interested I have reviewed all three of the CDs I just mentioned.) With the other Lee Morgan 50s sessions only available as expensive imports (I believe the limited edition Mosaic set collecting all of these sessions has finally sold out), "Candy" is a delicious look at a young trumpeter who would become one of the defining voices of 60s jazz.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lee Morgan, October 7, 2005

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Candy (Audio CD)

Of all Lee Morgan's many albums, I think this is his best - it at least is the one I like most. It's the only album Morgan made where he's the only horn; he's joined by Sonny Clark (p) Doug Watkins (b) and Art Taylor (d). Tune selection is excellent: the title track and Jimmy Heath's C.T.A. really swing, as does ALL AT ONCE YOU LOVE HER, which contains excellent solo work by Lee. Clark is in fine form. Everything just clicked perfectly on this outing, and it ended up being a great date for everyone. Hard bop at its finest.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How Sweet It Is!, March 1, 2008

By 

JoeyD (los gatos, ca) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Candy (MP3 Download)

Definitely one of Lee's best as a leader. "Candy" is about as sweet as it gets and my personal favorite by this legendary jazz trumpeter, perhaps just a fraction of a hair behind "Cornbread". Like Kenny Dorham's "Quiet Kenny", this would be Lee's only recording without a sax man beside him, his only quartet album. And like the former, this one is truly deserving of being dubbed a classic. I was amazed when I came upon the review page and saw that it had only been reviewed seven times. Then again, there are so many great jazz recordings that so few people have heard of or listen to. I loved every piece of `Candy'; there is not one song that is even close to being a let down.

It also helps having an amazing trio behind you - Sonny Clark on piano, Art Taylor on drums, and Doug Watkins on bass. The latter left this world way too soon, what a talent, what a shame (he died in an automobile accident in February of 1962 almost a month before his 28th birthday). He was really coming into his own at the time of this 1957-58 recording, coming off of the huge success of Sonny Rollins' "Saxophone Colossus". Both Taylor and Clark are excellent as well, Taylor often times reminds me of the great Art Blakey, he's just that great. And Sonny Clark is in my opinion one of the most underrated jazz pianists ever. The four of them are all in perfect rhythm and sync on this set. Bottom line, these cats could flat out play and this one is too good to pass up if you are a fan of great music.

An awesome accomplishment!