Customer Reviews

Search for the New Land

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Lee Morgan's "Search for the New Land" is the trumpeter's most searching and enjoyable Blue Note album in my opinion. This session was recorded on February 15, 1964, nearly two months after the date that yielded "The Sidewinder." In many ways, "Search" is a departure from the funky, tight grooves of its predecessor. Sure tracks like "Morgan the Pirate" and "The Joker" are a continuation of the up-tempo feel of "The Sidewinder" and easily blend with that album's style. But the other tracks -- "Mr. Kenyatta," "Melancholee" and of course the title track -- are as progressive and exploratory as any jazz that was made in the watershed year of 1964. Across the board at Blue Note, artists were challenging each other to make more innovative jazz and many of the performers began expanding their bands to accommodate this broadening of the music. On "Search" Lee returns to a sextet line-up for the first time since the late 1950s, but with the addition of Grant Green on guitar, there's no mistaking it for those 50s hard bop sessions. In addition to Green, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Reggie Workman and Billy Higgins all make invaluable contributions, but the guitarist adds an other-worldly spatial quality to the music, particularly on the title track. Of course, in a few months "The Sidewinder" would be released and its title track would become an international hit. Beginning with "The Rumproller" (see my review), every Lee Morgan album would have the seemingly obligatory funky, boogaloo-style lead-off track in the hopes of a follow-up hit. And while those discs are all very enjoyable, Lee would never again "search" quite like he did on "Search for the New Land."

This album is fantastic on several levels, musically groundbreaking, yet firmly in the tradition it will please more avant garde listeners and mainstream fans alike. It`s not as sunny as The Sidewinder (Morgan`s other masterpiece), it`s a different shade of Morgan, shining as a composer of great talent. Special mentions go to the leader`s trumpet playing, as well as Herbie Hancock and the great Billy Higgins. The title track is a tour de force of great finesse, Mr. Kenyatta is a standout track, but the rest of the album is just as enjoyable.

Highly recommended.

Lee Morgan had a hit with "The Sidewinder", and then tried to recreate the success of that song with a bunch of funky tunes. Before "The Sidewinder" came out, Lee recorded "Search For A New Land". This CD thus has the reputation of being untainted by his soon-to-come commercial success. The title track is the most notable song. It's long, and has a more progressive song structure than the typical theme-solo-theme structure. It's a good song, and you can hear Lee stretching his legs in a salutory fashion. Lee chose a great group of sidemen: Wayne Shorter, Grant Green, Herbie Hancock, Reggie Workman, and Billy Higgins. The rest of the album is more like tracks 2-5 from "The Sidewinder" -- standard Lee Morgan. Of course, that's hardly a criticism, the remainder of the CD is very good. Very good!

Just listen to Billy Higgins lay it down! I love the sound on Search for the New Land, it's the quickest fifteen minutes ever! Lee Morgan wrote some great tunes for this one, Morgan the Pirate has such a warm sound. Dig Grant Green hanging with Morgan and Shorter on the front line. If you don't have this and you are getting tired of Sidewinder, Blue Train, etc. pick this up NOW!!

This album is just full of great music. On one hand there is the familiar Morgan sound and phrasing, but there are longer and more daring compositions, that bring out other, more contemplative qualities in Lee's playing. Morgan and Shorter are a good combination (see The Gigolo) and the examine new frontiers here. Billy Higgins is great as usual, and Grant Green adds to the ensemble sound.
This is one CD that is recommended to any Jazz fan, as its creativeness defies definition, and crosses stylistics boundaries.

For some strange reason due to the marketing people at Blue Note, this album came out a few years later after the more commercial, "The Rumpboller" w/Joe Henderson, possibly to cash in on the success of "Sidewinder" also with Henderson. But make no mistake about it, this album is so much different from the rest of Morgan's many albums. For one, the title track is a long modal tune with some interesting progressions and also the first time Morgan utilized guitarist Grant Green to brilliant effect. Also his Blakey teammate Wayne Shorter provided simpatico support for Lee, they were so well matched that they sounded like one--the only other perfect match would be altoist Jackie McLean (check out "Leeway"). The rhythm section is sublime with for the first time, Herbie Hancock on piano, Reginald Workman on bass and the ubiquitous Billy Higgins on drums. The rest of the tunes also fall into the modal/post bop range with Lee at his best here. If you want to pick just one Morgan album--get this one since he would never make album like this again!! No boogaloo tunes here.

You know when your jazz collection which for many starts with classic Blue Note,Prestige, or maybe Savoy you can drift away from the stone classics you haven't heard in a while.There are too many Lee Morgan,Hank Mobley,Wayne Shorter,Grant Green,Jackie McLean,Lou Donaldson,Herbie Hancock et al sessions that would count as "MUST HAVES" in a "modern" (that is post swing/bebop) collections.But this session has always been close to a favorite of mine in Morgans catalog if I had to choose.Like Shorter's "Night Dreamer" it takes the foundations of the the Jazz Messenger's (of which Morgan of course was a rotating star as the Mosaic "Complete 1960 Art Blakey" box shows) and his earlier Blue Note work and ad's the then new modal sound.The results are dreamlike and breathtaking.Though there were great sessions from the up to 1959 (the 100 series) this LP combines what made the early 60's 4000 era of Blue Note records peerless.And this album has all the qualities of that era from hard bop to modal pointing toward a "New Thing" about to take hold in the post '64 era of jazz.If for some reason this is one you missed fix that oversight before you by another hot off the press release.While not as funky or famous as "The Sidewinder" this maybe the one you come back to more often.
Chazz

I say this is his best because it is much less formulaic than his other funky attempts at hits. Also, look at the line-up. And finally, Grant Green is pushing Lee to travel uncharted waters. The title number is a knock out, and the rest of the album keeps up.
Morgan, Green, and Shorter are a great line-up and nobody gives up without a aggessive fight. This is Green and Morgan at their most progressive, skipping the boogaloo

Even to a relative newcomer to jazz like myself, the excellence of Lee Morgan is obvious at once, both as composer & musician. As with so many others, "Sidewinder" was my introduction to this gifted artist; but I have to agree with the previous posters in saying that this is a particularly superb album, one that really stays with the listener. I don't have the technical vocabulary to describe it, but one thing that stands out for me is Morgan's seeming effortlessness, his confidence & sureness as a musician. It's not just a matter of practice & skill -- plenty of fine musicians have that -- but a sort of cool, quiet centeredness, a feeling that he has firm roots allowing him to soar freely when he plays. I've never been disappointed by any album of his ... but again, there's an expansiveness to this one, a serious sort of playfulness, that really raises it up higher than high. Absolutely recommended!

i've had this album for years and once in a while i play it and last night i got inspired. Search for the new land is a fast 15 minutes of creativity with some cool changes in the arrangements and the way the music flows. it is a direct nod to John Coltrane amongest others who flipped the script with directions in there music stylings. Mr.Kenyetta is my cut though. enjoy the groove and the textures there.so much deep talent on this album. Lee Morgan had a distictive flair on the trumpet indeed. i have the orginal non re-mastered version of this CD and it still sounds as sharp. RIP to my Uncle William who was a huge fan of Lee Morgan.