Customer Reviews

Sidewinder

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

This a desert island jazz disc. Any true jazz fan either has or had this disc in their collection and with good reason. The title track is the seminal jazz formula rooted in hard bop that was progressing into the formation of a free wheeling post bop generation of new players to carry on the torch. The brilliant then young, now long gone trumpeter Lee Morgan assembled a tight group of musicians to record his original compositons. This disc demonstrates the talent Lee Morgan had as a composer and soloist, unfortunately his time amongst us was short. The cast of musicians was outstanding with extra props going out to bassist Bob Cranshaw and veteran tenor sax man Joe Henderson. The rhythmic and harmonic structure of these songs played on this session are exceptional examples of a cohesive jazz unit playing as one whole. The duet by Henderson and Morgan is a rare beautiful interchange by a lead and sideman on "Totem Pole" as each plays in harmony, in unison as one instrument then suddenly gives way for the other to add a solo within the framework and continuing the pattern hitting all registrars and shattering perception of what notes can do. Certain discs that have been resurrected from the archives sound better with a sonic cleansing and this is one of those. The music is hot jazz played with a cool demeanor, it is simply one of the best in it's genre. It is about as tight a recording session as you'll ever hear. Originally recorded in the sixties this disc is the perfect backdrop as you make your way through a day in the concrete urban jungle. This is music to put your top down and cruise with the wind blowing through your hair as you leave the golden triangle and head up the coast to your hideaway. If you don't have this in your collection check it out and file it under perenially hip and classic right next to Miles Davis. Highly recommended for straight-ahead jazz aficionados.

This album has come as a bit of a shock. The shock isn't from how good this album is (and it is very good). The shock - the shame even - is that I've been going around all these years calling myself a jazz lover without ever even hearing it, talk less about having it in my collection.

But I got lucky. You know how it is. You buy a CD or express an interest in one and amazon.com very helpfully suggest others that you might enjoy. That is how I came across this classic beauty. I read a few reviews, they all seemed to be saying great things and so I jumped right in.

Lee Morgan is a great trumpeter but it's not just the improvisation and sheer craftsmanship of he and all concerned here (Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone, Barry Harris on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass and Billy Higgins on drums) that I find mind-blowing; it's that Lee Morgan is such an incredible songwriter. The title track beings to mind phrases like "Herbie Hancock", "Watermelon Man" and "bandwagon" but that might be a bit too harsh. It's still a very enjoyable tune in its own right.

Morgan writes all six of the songs on this album and while I don't know much about the technical jargon involved, on "Totem Pole", just to take one example, the way the beat and tempo keep changing during the song keep me going back to it again and again (track #6 is actually an alternate take of this song).

It never ceases to amaze me how music recorded almost half a century ago - this one was recorded in 1963 - still sounds so fresh and so original today. Maybe it's the mastering by Rudy Van Gelder but the sound is clear, crisp and practically jumps out of the speakers. This is my kind of jazz; very clever but still very accessible. I love it!

"The Sidewinder"... 10 minutes 24 seconds of pure "cool" and a stunningly effective example of how to push jazz into mainstream popular music without compromising on technique or virtuosity. Recorded in 1963 - way before "jazz/funk" was invented - Lee Morgan lays down its perfect template by creating an insidious riff that captures & holds the listener's attention while inviting improvisation from a superbly tight band that includes Joe Henderson on sax and the wonderful Bob Cranshaw on bass. So clever that their breaks become an integral part of the driving back-beat that results in that rarest of things: a jazz track that you can actually dance to. Definitive, timeless and, above all, fun.

And the rest?... high quality early 60's jazz: as good as anything around at the time but overwhelmed by the sheer power of this album's opening track.

Blue Note records released an unbelievably consistent string of impeccably performed and recorded sessions from the mid 50's to the late 60's. Picking out the best of these is like picking the best diamond out of a sack full of 'em.

So it is in some elite company that Lee Morgan's The Sidewinder finds itself. The classic title workout might be one of the best known songs in the history of Jazz. This isn't cerebral stuff like Dolphy or Monk, or even virtuoso stuff if that means Davis and Coltrane. It's smokin' soulful Jazz with an emphasis on the beat, never done better.

The rest of the session follows suit in classic fashion. If you want an instant soul-jazz party atmosphere, this is your CD. One factor I use in rating CD's is how much I play them, and this CD is ready to wear out I play it so much. Five Stars!

i first heard lee morgan on coltrane's 'blue train'. i couldnt' get over the big, brash, and cocky sound. this guy is what every trumpet player wishes he was. his delivery is impeccable his range is incredible and he plays like he means it.and it is hard to believe that he is improvising sometimes. further, the songs on this cd are great. i think the two takes of 'totem pole' are by far the best. i can't stop listening to that song 2 years after buying the album. I've heard other VanGelder editions, and rarely, if ever do they sound better than the originals - he seems to be going for a sound more reflective of the time it was recorded while sacrificing the dynamics. Anyway, my recording is GREAT, and this is rare for trumpet albums of that time.