Customer Reviews

Cornbread

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you're a fan of jazz, you're likely a fan of Lee Morgan. His brilliant composition, tenacious solos, and sassy playfulness define the genre, and "Cornbread" captures Morgan at his ear-popping, toe-tapping best. With a stellar cast boasting the likes of Herbie Hancock, Billy Higgins, and the venerable Hank Mobley, Morgan finds himself in like company, and the timelessness of the session should surprise no one. The classic title track sets the tone-a contagious theme supported by an irresistible rhythm, and Morgan wastes little time before launching into his first tasty solo. "Our Man Higgins" is straight-ahead bop, with Morgan, McLean, Mobley, and Hancock each taking a turn--no time to catch your breath here! "Ill Wind" and "Most Like Lee" demonstrate Morgan's startling diversity. In the latter, Morgan attacks each note with the clarity and ferocity of a Clifford Brown, while in the former, not an original, he employs a mute and plays what sounds like a tribute to Miles Davis. But the gem of the session is "Ceora," a bossa-nova effort that makes you wonder why Morgan didn't play this sound more often. He handles the theme with surprising sensitivity, and Hancock's deft accompaniment follows suit. Alone, "Ceora" is worth the price of admission. Its inclusion on "Cornbread" makes the album a classic.

Any jazz fan who thinks they don't like bebop (such as my 82 year-old Dad, a veteran of the swing era) should be given this CD. I've listen to dozens of Blue Note and Verve reissues from the 50's and 60's and I can't think of an album that better captures the inventiveness, beauty, and sheer joy of this musicmaking. Every musician here is among the greats; the solos are magnificent and the ensemble work makes one disappointed that this group didn't do more recording together. Morgan is an underrated composer (as is tenor sax man Hank Mobley, an all-but-unknown genius and amazing on this album); if "Ceora" were Morgan's only composition, we'd still be in his debt. I've listened to this CD again and again, and it just gets better (I did send it to my Dad, by the way, and he's now a big Morgan/Mobley fan.) I agree 100% with the reviewer who pleaded for a five-star rating; this album is a classic!

Come on jazz fans, we've got to get the average rating for this superb album back up to five stars ... here's my contribution. I've listened to Cornbread maybe 100 times in the last three years. I can't think of another recording that better sums what the essence of jazz is: finding the beauty in the songs and letting it rip right out of the vinyl grooves (or laser bytes). Most of these supremely talented musicians died too young -- but on a CD like CORNBREAD you get the feeling they somehow knew they weren't gonna die of old age, so they infused their best stuff with extra joy. With respect to the individual tracks, other reviewers have summed them up well; I'll just add this -- once upon a time I read that Hank Mobley dreamed of recording an all-ballad CD; listening to his breathtaking work on "Ceora" and "Ill Wind" lets us know exactly what we missed. (Other great Mobley ballads are "My Sin" on THE TURNAROUND and "Carolyn" on NO ROOM FOR SQUARES.)

Lee Morgan has recorded a number of excellent albums in his career, but this has to rank as one of his very best. Everything works perfectly, from tune selection to solo intensity. Jackie McLean and Hank Mobley join Lee on the front line, and play lyrically and, in McLean's case, with fire as well. The best track is CEORA, one of Lee's most impressive compositions, a beautiful bossa - the theme is gorgeous and the solos light and dreamy. CORNBREAD is a bluesy, church-inspired tune, with a Horace Silver feel to it. Herbie Hancock is magnificent on piano throughout the proceedings; his playing is captivating and delightful, especially on OUR MAN HIGGINS, which also features nice drum work by Billy Higgins. ILL WIND, the only standard on the CD, has a blues flavor and a very nice muted solo by Lee. This is a great album - a classic Blue Note release. Definitely worth grabbing.

If you aren't sure about hardbop, then get this. This was one of my very first Jazz CDs. It may be played at my house more than any other CD I have. Cornbread is just a fantastic song that can't be fully appreciated until about 10 times through. This recording is just fantastic. Ceora is one of the greats of all time. This Album is packed with great music and you won't be sorry you own it. I will never tire of this fantastic album.

Blue Note recorded a number of hard bop musicians in the 50's and 60's, such as Art Blakey and Horace Silver. Many of these recordings introduce young trumpeters, including Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan. In fact, Morgan had been a side man of Blakey's before moving to be a leader on his own.

This is one of Morgan's better efforts. There are several things noteworthy about this album.

1- Morgan is outstanding. His tone is clear and strong. While he doesn't play "pretty" like Art Farmer, he is capable of lyric playing. He has been influenced by Clifford Brown, although his tone isn't quite as warm as Brownie's.

2- This group played great together. The always welcome warm-toned tenor of Hank Mobley is a plus, and Herbie Hancock hadn't yet gotten commercial and he also excels.

3- Morgan is a surprisingly adept composer. Everything on the album is an original except "Ill Wind", and two of Morgan's tunes, the title track and "Ceora" are gems. "Cornbread" is a down-home funky blues, and "Ceora" is a bossa-flavored ballad. Both are excellent.

4- The improvisations are outstanding, but even among such stellar colleagues, Morgan stands out.

In short, Morgan was one of the bright young stars of the trumpet in the 50's and 60's. This is a terrific example just how good he was.

I can't think of another jazz standard from the so-called "hard bop" movement, with the possible exception of Horace Silver's "Strollin'," that's as infectious and plain "re-playable" as Lee Morgan's "Ceora." And yet it's a bit too adventurous and irregular to be a good candidate for a lyric. As natural and inviting as the tune's melody and changes are, it has the quality of a superior improvised solo rather than a labored "composition" or pop tune. Besides the strength of Morgan's solo, the track features some of Herbie Hancock's most sensitive and exquisite playing on record in my experience. But the best is yet to come: Hank Mobley's solo on the tune eclipses the others--a model of restraint, structural wholeness, and unfolding beauty from the first to last note. Yet it's so understated that the thought of comparing it to Morgan's or Hancock's solos is unlikely to come to mind. The great tenor saxophonist simply finds himself in a context and position to contribute his unique melodic gift to the success of the enterprise of which he's an integral part.

None of the other tracks are up to "Ceora," but with musicians like these playing together without "Sidewinder"/"Rumproller" formulaic restraints, there's no way to go wrong with a session like this.

Lee Morgan is my favorite trumpeter ever. His phrasing is perfect, and his brassy, robust playing is pure joy. I can't say enough about his playing. Also on this album is Billy Higgins on drums, Jackie McLean on alto, Hank Mobley on tenor, Herbie Hancock on piano, and Larry Ridley on bass. Billy Higgins is one of the very best drummers ever. Listen to his snare, both the timbre of it and the way he uses it to punctuate Morgan's phrases and to drive the swing in the rhythm. He's another player I know instantly and whose style I hear as a paradigm for proper jazz drumming. Hank Mobley is, I think, the perfect tenor sax player. He's not flashy like, say, John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins or Dexter Gordon. But he's always right-on in his expression. Jackie McLean first came to my attention when I heard him with a group of all-stars in Chicago in the 1990s. He blew everyone else away, and I've loved him ever since. Herbie Hancock is his normal stellar self with some fine solos, and Larry Ridley does a good job in the rhythm section.

From the exuberant "Cornbread" to the beautiful "Ceora", this is a superb album. I recommend it highly; it's as good as "Sidewinder" or "Search For the New Land" (both of them stellar, as well).

Another very strong hardbop album from some of the best. The players include Lee on the Trumpet, Jackie Mclean on Alto Sax, Hank Mobley on Tenor Sax, Herbie Hancock on Piano, Larry Ridley on Bass, and the always solid Billy Higgins on Drums.

Fans of Morgan, Mobley, and Mclean, will love this album. Not only are the solos great, but the integrity between the Horns really stands out. Morgan and Co. dig deep into four originals and a standard with incredible solos and a hard driving feel from the Rhythmn section. Every Cd by Morgan and Mobley has become a big aspect of my still growing jazz collection. Other great albums by Lee and Hank are "No Room for Squares", "Roll Call", and "Gigolo".

The album is perhaps the most representative of the harbop era. With its virtuosity and fire, it expresses the feeling of true soulful blues with an added exhiliarating fire that is sure to capture the attention of any jazz enthusiast. The captivating bass line and screaming notes of the group in the title track will send chills down the listener's back. The ballad and the bossa nova are relaxing tunes that can't be just heard but listened intently. There is also the technical wonder of "Our Man Higgings", which is subject to intense theoretical study. And the final track, with its more complex chord progression, is revolutionary in its time.