Sidewinder [Limited Edition, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered]

Lee Morgan | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 16, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
• Label: Blue Note Records
• ASIN: B00000IL26
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,476 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #5 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Boogaloo
  • #6 in Music > Indie Music > Jazz > Bebop
  • #66 in Music > Jazz > Bebop > Hard Bop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Philadelphia-born trumpeter and superb bop stylist Lee Morgan apprenticed with Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey before emerging as a leader in his own right in the early '60s for Blue Note Records. Although Morgan owed a stylistic debt to both Gillespie and Clifford Brown, he quickly developed a voice of his own that combined half-valve effects, Latin inflections, and full, fluid melodies. While many of Morgan's later sessions for Blue Note would find him paired with saxophonist Hank Mobley, The Sidewinder features then up-and-coming tenor player Joe Henderson, plus Detroit pianist Barry Harris, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Billy Higgins. Along with the title track, an unconventional 24-bar blues, the album's compositional standout is "Totem Pole," a minor Latin groove featuring an outstanding solo by Henderson. This is the kind of relaxed blowing date, invigorated by thoughtful performances, that forms the backbone of the Blue Note catalog. --Fred Goodman

Product Description

The Sidewinder, Lee Morgan's 24-bar blues with an infectious bass line and backbeat, instantly became one of the most popular pieces in modern jazz history. Every track on this classic album is a gem.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Lee Morgan at his best! March 15, 2001

By SCOTT SANDERS

Format:Audio CD

If you ever want to convert a non-fan into a jazz lover this album would be my first choice. The most underrated jazz musician ever is at his peak and it's hard to stop this disc once you start. Crisp, clean, upbeat jazz in every song. No ballads or muted horns here, this is hardbop at it's best. As a longtime Morgan fan I can tell you he never sounded better than on this disc. Joe Henderson always played well with Lee and Higgins was one of the premier drummers at that time. Don't think about it, just buy it!

54 of 60 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sophisticated Music for Sophisticated People. August 22, 2005

By The Groove

Format:Audio CD

Why should you even bother with Lee Morgan's "The Sidewinder?" The reasons are plenty. Because it's one of the finer releases on the esteemed Blue Note label. Because it's one of the trumpeter's best albums. Because you, the listener, will get to witness the awesome interplay between Morgan, saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Barry Harris, bass player Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Billy Higgins. Because it's a one-of-a-kind album that belongs in any serious jazz lover's collection. Check out the second track "Totem Pole," in which Morgan gives each of his members a chance to shine. Harris's great piano solo and Henderson's saxophone compliment Morgan's trumpet like butter on a hot biscuit. "Hocus Pocus," like the rest of the album, is a great uptempo number that will have anyone within earshot tapping their toes to the steady beat of Higgin's drum, supported by Morgan on trumpet and Henderson on sax. This album was originally released in 1963 but was remastered 35 years later by Rudy Van Gelder. Thanks to Van Gelder, the recording sounds notably crisp and vibrant, with the music projecting with a certain force that was meant to be experienced. Morgan's catalogue is full of winners, but if you have to start with one album, many would agree that "The Sidewinder" is the one to get.

33 of 37 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rock, Funk and Jazz in close harmony November 19, 2001

By rash67 VINE™ VOICE

Format:Audio CD

The most successful of all Lee Morgan's albums. The funky title track "Sidewinder" is alone worth the cost of the CD.

Combines a four/four rock drum beat, soul/funk/boogaloo bass line with rapid-fire, close harmony mirror-image Jazz trumpet and tenor sax parts on top. This fusion effort was called a Rock sell-out when it originally was released but it is one of the most consistently listenable Fusion type albums to this day.

Other tracks are strong, less funky, more Jazzy. Especially Totem Pole. Lee Morgan spent most of his subsequent life trying to duplicate the success of this album following the same formula, usually with lesser results; a few good tracks and a lot of more forgetable stuff. No, he doesn't have the beautiful lost-in-a-crowd melancholy sound of early Miles Davis and his harmon mute, but Lee Morgan is as good in a different direction: intense, happy and upbeat.

Great bestseller album from the sixties. Burrows into your head and you hear it in your memory. A great album for Rocker's who think they don't like Jazz. Or those new to Jazz.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The cure for people who think they don't get jazz May 27, 2004

By Jeffrey

Format:Audio CD

Some musicians do a particularly good job of expressing their personality through their instruments. On this album, Lee Morgan's trumpet expresses both sheer confidence and the absolute joy of playing music.

This album is the cure for everyone who thinks they don't get jazz. The music is funky,bluesy, brash and extroverted. Fans of pretty much any popular music genre will be able to react to the groove here. Yet this is no dumbed down, watered-down piece of pandering. Instead, this was a group of highly accomplished jazz musicians playing their butts off on a really good day.

The re-mastering of the original Blue Note recording sessions is also excellent. Blue Note was famous for having being best recorded sessions in jazz and this album is a good example of everything that made the label great. You can really here the interplay between the musicians on this very clean recording, without ever having to sacrifice the soulfulness of the music.

Lee Morgan was one of several jazz trumpeters in the 1950s who died in a relatively young age. Play this disc and find out just what we all missed.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic Blue Note Recording by A Legendary Trumpeter May 29, 2004

By x

Format:Audio CD

Although all knowledgeable jazz fans know about Lee Morgan, had he not been murdered over thirty years ago, it is likely that today his name would be as recognizable in popular culture as that of Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie. He was a superbly fine player who made consistently strong sides in the 60s for Blue Note and Vee Jay, among other labels. Whether as a leader or a sideman, his musical contributions were extremely formidable and should be deeply investigated by any jazz fan or students of the trumpet.

"The Sidewinder" is perhaps Morgan's best known recording, and it is indeed a good listen. The recording also features Joe Henderson (tenor), Barry Harris (piano), Billy Higgins (drums), and Bob Cranshaw (bass). The main title track that opens the recording is a pretty well-known, funky vamp that is so catchy that it is easy to miss the fine interplay between Henderson and Morgan throughout the track. The remaining tracks on the recording are a little more in the hard bop vein and really showcase Morgan's underrated skills as a composer--it should be noted that all of the tracks on the recording were written by Lee Morgan. As with the case of Hank Mobley, Morgan should be given a lot more credit for crafting intricate jazz compositions. They are excellent, particularly the gorgeous "Totem Pole" which features beautiful improvisational interludes, novel changes, and a tight, melodic head.

Basically, this is not a bad place to start a Lee Morgan collection, if you are interested in hearing his work. However, with an artist of this magnitude, you can't really go wrong getting anything by him.