Conte Candoli & Lee Morgan – Double Or Nothin’ (1957)

Liverty Records LRP 3045 - 1957
Fresh Sound Records (2003 release)

Lee Morgan & Conte Candoli (tp) Frank Rosolino (tb) Benny Golson (ts) Bob Cooper (ts)
Dick Shreve (p) Red Mitchell (b) Stan Levey (d)
“Lighthouse Club”, Hermosa Beach, CA, February 14, 1957

Lee Morgan & Conte Candoli (tp) Frank Rosolino (tb) Benny Golson (ts) Bob Cooper (ts)
Wynton Kelly (p) Wilfred Middlebrooks (b -1,7) Red Mitchell (b) Charlie Persip (d)
“Lighthouse Club”, Hermosa Beach, CA, February 27, 1957

1. Reggie of Chester (B. Golson)
2. Stablemates (B. Golson)
3. Celedia (B. Golson)
4. The Moto (Bob Cooper)
5. Champ (D. Gillespie)
6. Blues After Dark (B.Golson)
7. Wildwood (G. Gryce)
8. Quicksilver (H. Silver)
9. Bye Bye Blues (Lown)

MP3@320 : Flac

“Double or Nothin’” foi gravado em 1957 e lançado pela gravadora Liverty, pequeno selo da Califórnia. Originalmente creditado como “Howard Rumsey/Charlie Persip – Double Or Nothin’ (Liverty LRP 3045)”, teve nos anos 60 um relançamento em LP já em nome da dupla de trompetistas.
A cena da gravação: Músicos da costa leste que estavam em Hollywood acompanhando Dizzy Gillespie em apresentações e gravações pela Califórnia em Fevereiro de 1957, tocam nos fins de semana livres no famoso clube Lighthouse em Hermosa Beach, reduto dos músicos mais descolados da West Coast. O proprietário do Lighthouse era o contrabaixista Howard Rumsey, músico atuante no cenário local à época. Estão disponíveis para a sessão alguns músicos do hepteto que acompanha Dizzy Gillespie: o pupilo deste na ocasião, Lee Morgan, atuando em um trompete modelo Gillespie, com a famosa campana voltada pra o alto. O saxofonista Benny Golson, o pianista Wynton Kelly e o baterista Charlie Persip completam os Yankes. Os músicos locais de grande expressão, todos muito influenciados pelo som de NYC desde o bebop na metade dos anos 40, agora tinham sua atenção no hardbop que começava a ecoar da Big Apple. Alguns habituais das gravações no Lighthouse lá estavam: o especialíssimo trombonista Frank Rosolino, o saxofonista Bob Cooper, o pianista Dick Shrieve, o contrabaixista Red Mitchell e o baterista radicado na West Coast, Stan Levey. Estes gravaram ao lado de Candoli e Morgan no dia 14 de Fevereiro, temas: “Moto”, de Bob Cooper; “Stablemates”, de Benny Golson e “Quicksilver”, de Horace Silver. Os temas restantes foram gravados duas semanas depois com Wynton Kelly ao piano, Charlie Persip na bateria e o contrabaixista Wilfred Middlebrooks em dois temas. O repertório é todo de clássicos do hardbop, bebop e west-cost jazz. Benny Golson assina quatro maravilhas, Dizzy é lembrado em “The Champ”, o clássico hardbop “Quicksilver” de Horace Silver, “Wildwood” de Gigi Gryce, “Moto” de Bob Cooper e, ainda vale destacar, a bela balada “Celedia” de Golson.
“Double or Nothin’” é uma perfeita mistura de músicos de primeira qualidade, de concepções estéticas diversas, porém complementares, da sonoridade do leste e do oeste americano durante a efervescente cena musical da segunda metade dos criativos anos 50.

En Febrero de 1957, Dizzy Gillespie llegó a Los Angeles para dar una serie de conciertos. Entre los músicos que formaban su big-band de entonces se encontraba el baterista Charlie Persip y los integrantes de su combo partiucular, los "Charlie Persip's Jazz Statesmen": Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Wilfred Middlebrooks y Wynton Kelly.
Los fines de semana estaban libres de compromisos y lo dedicaron a frecuentar el Lighthouse de Howard Rumsey en el cual, obviamente, se sucedieron inevitables jams con ellos sobre el escenario. Entusiasmado con el resultado, Rumsey sugirió que ambos grupos sumaran esfuerzos para una grabación.
Así surgió Double or Nothin', uno de los más celebrados encuentros entre músicos del Este y del Oeste.
Complementados con Conte Candoli, Frank Rosolino, Bob Cooper, Red Mitchell, Dick Shreve, Red Mitchell y Stan Levey, las grabaciones se realizaron el 14 y el 17 de Febrero de 1957 en la pequeña grabadora californiana Liberty Records.
Como acertadamente lo adjetiva Gordon en su libro, esta grabación es una de las joyas menos conocidas de la década de 1950.
Aunque reeditada en 2003 en forma de disco compacto por Fresh Sound Records bajo el nombre de Conte Candoli y Lee Morgan, el LP original está aquí gracias a Paolo!

Re-issue of all-star 1957 Hollywood studio gathering led by top trumpeters Conte Candoli and a youthful Lee Morgan with solid support from Benny Golson, Wynton Kelly, Frank Rosolino, Bob Cooper, Red Mitchell, Stan Levey, Charlie Persip, Dick Shrieve and Wilfred Middlebrooks.
The band were all regular performers at the famous Lighthouse Club and this session was organised and overseen by club owner and bass player Howard Rumsey. Benny Golson wrote 4 new pieces for the session, plus one from Bob Cooper, Dizzy’s “The Champ”, “Quicksilver” by Horace Silver, “Wildwood” by Gigi Gryce, and the perennial “Bye Bye Blues”.

Thanks to Hot Beat Jazz and Raz « Jazz Is My Life :-)

Lee Morgan

Edward Lee Morgan
Jul 10, 1938 in Philadelphia, PA : Feb 19, 1972 in New York, NY

Hard Bop, Post-Bop, Neo-Bop, Modal Bop

Lee Morgan - The Last Session [1971]

Lee Morgan - The Last Session

01. Capra Black (15:32) (Harper)
02. In What Direction Are You Headed? (16:20) (Mabern)
03. Angela (6:24) (Merritt)
04. Croquet Ballet (10:57) (Harper)
05. Inner Passions Out (17:34) (Waits)

Lee Morgan - Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Grachan Moncur III - Trombone
Bobbi Humphrey - Flute
Billy Harper - Tenor Sax, Alto Flute
Harold Mabern - Piano, Elect. Piano
Jymie Merritt - Elect. Bass
Reggie Workman - Bass, Percussion
Freddie Waits - Drums, Recorder

Recorded September 17 & 18 1971 at Van Gelders Studio

download

A cornerstone of the Blue Note label roster prior to his tragic demise, Lee Morgan was one of hard bop's greatest trumpeters, and indeed one of the finest of the '60s.

The final recording by Lee Morgan, this double LP has its moments but is somewhat erratic with some modal-oriented selections that ramble on too long and a forgettable debut (on "Croquet Ballet") for the trumpeter's discovery, flutist Bobbi Humphrey. Morgan (who was still just 33) is in generally good form and his band (with Billy Harper on tenor, keyboardist Harold Mabern, Jymie Merritt or Reggie Workman on bass and drummer Freddie Waits) is quite stimulating but the music has an uncomfortable and incomplete feel to it. It does leave one wondering what Lee Morgan would have done next had he lived.

Thanks to yorubajazz

Lee Morgan - The Procrastinator (1967)

MP3@256KBPS

TRACKLIST
1. The Procrastinator (Lee Morgan) 8:05
2. Party Time (Lee Morgan) 6:00
3. Dear Sir (Wayne Shorter) 6:53
4. Stopstart (Lee Morgan) 6:09
5. Rio (Wayne Shorter) 6:10
6. Soft Touch (Lee Morgan) 7:00

LINEUP
Lee Morgan trumpet
Wayne Shorter tenor sax
Herbie Hancock piano
Bobby Hutcherson vibes
Ron Carter bass
Billy Higgins drums

Recorded on July 14, 1967

Link

This album is prime mid-sixties Lee Morgan, in the company of five stellar associates. Billy Higgins had been Morgan's drummer from The Sidewinder forward; thus he and Morgan had recorded with Wayne Shorter (on Search For The New Land, and The Gigolo) and Herbie Hancock (Search and Cornbread). Bobby Hutcherson was the leading vibes innovator of the era and (like Morgan, Shorter and Hancock) a Blue Note contract artist: he had previously worked with Morgan on Grachan Moncur's Evolution. While Ron Carter's bass had not been heard behind Morgan he was perfectly compatible and, of course, he worked with Shorter and Hancock in the immortal Miles Davis Quintet of the time. One fascinating sidelight of the session is that it took place in the middle of the production of Davis' Nefertiti.

"The Procrastinator" is a stunning Morgan composition with a variety of strengths. During the slow section, the main theme conveys a majesty akin to the classic "Search for the New Land," while the counter-melody on the bridge could pass for the work of John Lewis; once the tempo arrives, however, the line shows how perfectly it assumes a relaxed hard-bop lope. Morgan is extremely poised and, the pinpoint brilliance of his sound notwithstanding, mellow. Shorter sounds very Trane-ish, as he did on some of his own Blue Note dates of the time (and for the most part didn't with Miles), and Hutcherson is joyously fleet. Blue Note's "house" pianist of the time (Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Andrew Hill) always brought out the best in the vibist, and the value of Hancock's support here is unmistakable. The pianist lets his own lines soar, with minimal use of the left hand, and comments pithily behind the ensemble as he does throughout the session.

"Party Time," a staccato medium blues, shows the ability of these men to get into a groove without affectation. Hancock's subtle voicings and shifts in attack sound easy but are actually quite sophisticated, as are Shorter's beautiful simplicity and Morgan's tonal innuendos.

Shorter's "Dear Sir" takes the sextet into the ethereal atmosphere of the Davis quintet. The slow, calmly twisting 16-bar line floats in characteristic Shorter fashion with harmonic modulations and rhythmic emphasis appearing at unexpected places. In the tenor solo we hear a different Shorter from "The Procrastinator," a quietly compassionate and highly intelligent voice that has synthesized Coltrane, Rollins, Young and Getz. Hutcherson, whose approach is quite different, achieves an incredible unity, of mood, and Hancock is this mood. The trumpet player on a piece like this must obviously confront Davis' example, and Morgan does sound uncommonly close to Miles in a solemn solo.

Morgan's bright "Stop-Start" does just what the title implies. Everyone digs in and flies here (note the change in Shorter), with Hancock bouncing ideas between left and right hands in what might be called his "Blue Note style" (with Davis he often played what amounted to right-handed solos). Morgan breaks up his lines in order to play with the beat, creating the impression of a man whipping the music with controlled fury. There are moments of disorganization in the fours with Higgins, but they hardly impair "Stop-Start's" glowing energy.

Carter begins "Rio" with some characteristically reverberating lines. Shorter's melody is a terse quasi-bossa nova, 14 bars in length, which has an infinite quality akin to so many of Wayne's pieces (like unravelling an onion skin). Hancock and Shorter are most adept in this setting, with the composer working in his enveloping lower register and displaying his elegant thematic bent.

With its off-center intro by piano and bass and its stealthy theme, Morgan's "Soft Touch" displays some Shorterish sensitivity. This was the last recorded meeting of the two horn men, who had complemented each other so brilliantly since 1959 in the Jazz Messengers, and "Soft Touch" reminds us how each (in different ways) was a master of tantalizing ambiguity. Morgan's casual cockiness and Shorter's gruff nonchalance both work, aided by the taut rhythm section. Hutcherson piggybacks phrase on phrase and shows off his bright metallic sound, while Hancock seems to buff his already lucid ideas through repetition. Lee had recorded this tune with Jackie McLean in 1965 as "Slumber."

--BOB BLUMENTHAL, from the liner notes,
The Procrastinator, Blue Note.

Benny Golson And The Philadelphians (1958)

MP3@320KBPS

TRACKLIST
1. You're Not The Kind 4:21
2. Blues On My Mind 7:33
3. Stablemates 5:49
4. Thursday's Theme 7:39
5. Afternoon In Paris 6:57
6. Calgary 3:42

LINEUP
Lee Morgan (tp)
Benny Golson (ts)
Ray Bryant (p)
Percy Heath (b)
Philly Joe Jones (dr)

Nola's Penthouse Sound Studios, NYC, November 17, 1958

Link

Lee Morgan - Search For The New Land 1964

Lee Morgan - Search For The New Land (1964) {2003 Rudy Van Gelder Remaster}
1- MP3|320KBPS|100MB
2- FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 275 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 95 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 15 Mb
© 2003 Blue Note | 7243 5 80910 2 1

Lee Morgan (trumpet)
Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone)
Herbie Hancock (piano); Grant Green (guitar)
Reginald Workman (bass)
Billy Higgins (drums)

1. Search For The New Land (15:45)
2. The Joker (5:04)
3. Mr. Kenyatta (8:43)
4. Melancholee (6:14)
5. Morgan The Pirate (6:31)
Total Time: 42:13

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on February 15, 1964

Label: Blue Note

1- MP3

2- Links

Lee Morgan - Standards (1967)

MP3|320KBPS|100MB

1. This Is The Life
2. God Bless The Child
3. Blue Gardenia
4. A Lot Of Livin' To Do
5. Somewhere
6. If I Were A Carpenter
7. Blue Gardenia - (alternate take)

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on January 13, 1967.

Personnel:
Lee Morgan (trumpet)
James Spaulding (alto saxophone, flute)
Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone)
Pepper Adams (baritone saxophone)
Herbie Hancock (piano)
Ron Carter (bass)
Mickey Roker (drums)

rapidshare

“The Sidewinder”

Lee Morgan
July 10, 1938 – February 19, 1972

Lee Morgan’s case proves how fatal love can really be. The popular hard bop trumpeter was shot by his common-law wife on February 19, 1972, after an argument between sets while performing at Slugs’, a jazz club in New York City’s East Village. Morgan was shot in the heart and died instantly. He was 33 years old.

Introducing Lee Morgan with Hank Mobley's Quintet (1956)

EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 159 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 82 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 11 Mb
© 1991 Nippon Japan / Savoy | SV-0116

Personnel
Lee Morgan (trumpet)
Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone)
Hank Jones (piano)
Doug Watkins (bass)
Art Taylor (drums)

1. Hank's Shout
2. Nostalgia
3. Bet
4. Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
5. P.S. I Love You
6. Easy Living
7. That's All

Links
-
mp3 320

Scans

Lee Morgan & Thad Jones - Minor Strain - 1960

01. Suspended Sentence (Shorter) 5:22
02. Minor Strain (Timmons) 6:23
03. A Bid For Sid (Morgan) 4:28

04. Subtle Rebuttal (alt take) (Jones) 3:56
05. Subtle Rebuttal (Jones) 4:02
06. Tip Toe (Jones) 3:35
07. H and T Blues (Jones) 9:56
08. Friday The 13th (Jones) 6:55

Tracks 1-3 recorded in New York, on July, 1960

Lee Morgan - Trumpet
Wayne Shorter - Sax (Tenor)
Bobby - Piano
Jimmy Rowser - Bass
Art Taylor - Drums

Tracks 4-8 recorded at Capitol Studios, New York, on May 12, 1960

Thad Jones - Trumpet
Al Grey - Trombone
Hank Jones - Piano
Frank Wess - Flute, Sax (Tenor)
Billy Mitchell - Sax (Tenor)
Richard Davis - Bass
Osie Johnson - Drums

:: Minor Strain ::


Thanks To brownweb - MUSICA DESDE LAS ANTIPODAS

Lee Morgan "The Gigolo" (1965)

MP3 ~ 192Kbps ~ RS.com ~ 75mb

Personnel:
Lee Morgan - trumpet
Wayne Shorter - tenor saxophone
Harold Mabern - piano
Bob Cranshaw - acoustic bass
Billy Higgins - drums

Tracks:
1. Yes I Can, No You Can't
2. Trapped
3. Speedball
4. The Gigolo
5. You Go To My Head - (previously unreleased)
6. The Gigolo - (previously unreleased, alternate take)

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on June 25 and July 1, 1965.

:: The Gigolo ::

Lee Morgan , Wayne Shorter - The Young Lions 1960

Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter - The Young Lions (1960)
Jazz | MP3 | 320 Kbps | 128.2 Mb

Wayne Shorter on tenor sax,
Frank Strozier on alto sax,
Lee Morgan on trumpet,
Bobby Timmons on piano,
Bob Cranshaw on bass,
and either Louis Hayes or Albert "Tootie" Heath (sic as "Tuttie") on drums

TrackList
1. Seeds Of Sin
2. Scourn'
3. Fat Lady
4. Peaches And Cream
5. That's Right
6. Seeds Of Sin (Take 4)
7. Scourn' (Take 3)
8. Fat Lady (Take 3)

:: The Young Lions ::

The Curtis Fuller Jazztet 1959

Personnel:
Lee Morgan (trumpet)
Curtis Fuller (trombone)
Benny Golson (tenor saxophone)
Wynton Kelly (piano)
Paul Chambers (bass)
Charlie Persip (drums)

Tracks:
1 It's All Right With Me
2 Wheatleith Hall
3 I'll Walk Alone
4 Arabia
5 Judy's Dilemma

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, August 25, 1959

:: The Curtis Fuller Jazztet ::

Lee Morgan - The Rumproller 1965

Lee Morgan - The Rumproller (1965) {1999 Rudy Van Gelder Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 236 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 108 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 41 Mb
© 1999 Capitol / Blue Note | 7243 5 21229 2 9 | 24-bit remaster

Personnel:
Lee Morgan (trumpet)
Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone)
Ronnie Mathews (piano)
Victor Sproles (bass)
Billy Higgins (drums)

Tracklist:
1. The Rumproller
2. Desert Moonlight
3. Eclipso
4. Edda
5. The Lady
6. Venus De Mildrew

:: Lee Morgan - The Rumproller ::

Lee Morgan - Indeed! 1956

Lee Morgan - Indeed! (1956) {2007 Rudy Van Gelder Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 212 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 102 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 54 Mb
© 2007 EMI / Blue Note | 0946 3 92781 2 1 | 24-bit remaster

Personnel:
Lee Morgan (trumpet)
Clarence Sharpe (alto saxophone)
Horace Silver (piano)
Wilbur Ware (bass guitar)
"Philly" Joe Jones (drums)

1. Roccus
2. Reggie of Chester
3. The Lady
4. Little T (aka The New Message)
5. Gaza Strip
6. Stand By
7. Little T (alternate take)

:: Lee Morgan - Indeed! ::

Lee Morgan - Lee-Way 1960

Lee Morgan - Lee-Way (1960) {2008 Analogue Productions Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 234 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 90 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 19 Mb
© 2008 EMI / Blue Note / Analogue Productions | CBNJ 84034 SA

Personnel
Lee Morgan- Trumpet
Jackie McLean- Alto Sax
Bobby Timmons- Piano
Paul Chambers- Bass
Art Blakey- Drums

Tracklist
1. These Are Soulful Days 9:25
2. The Lion And The Wolff 9:41
3. Midtown Blues 12:09
4. Nakatini Suite 8:10

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on April 28, 1960.

Originally released on Blue Note (84034).

:: Lee Morgan - Lee-Way ::

Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder 1963

Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder (1963) MP3+FLAC
MP3 @320kbps ~ RS.com ~ 111mb ~FLAC ~ 364mb ~ Covers + Scans ~ 5% File Recovery
Original Release Date: December 21, 1963 ~ Audio CD: 1989
Time: 50:23
Label: Blue Note

Personnel:
Lee Morgan - trumpet
Joe Henderson - tenor sax
Barry Harris - piano
Bob Cranshaw - bass
Billy Higgins - drums

Tracks:
1. The Sidewinder Morgan (10:24)
2. Totem Pole Morgan (10:13)
3. Totem Pole [alternate take] Morgan (9:56)
4. Gary's Notebook Morgan (6:03)
5. Boy, What a Night Morgan (7:31)
6. Hocus Pocus Morgan (6:21)

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on December 21, 1963

MP3 ~ 320kbps ~ 111mb ~ Covers + Scans ~ 5% File Recovery
part 1 | part 2

FLAC ~ 364mb ~ Covers + Scans ~ 5% File Recovery
part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4

Jamey Aebersold vol. 106 Lee Morgan

:: JA vol. 106 Lee Morgan ::

The Complete Blue Note Lee Morgan Fifties Sessions (1956-58)

Lee Morgan - Complete Blue Note Lee Morgan Fifties Sessions (1956-58)
4-CD Box Set | MP3 | 320Kbps | RS.com | 8 files, 607mb | 256m:18s

Tracks:
CD1:
1. Gaza Strip 3:57
2. Reggie of Chester 4:55
3. Little T 8:24
4. Little T [alternate Take] 8:10
5. Stand By 5:51
6. Roccus 8:18
7. The Lady 6:47
8. Latin Hangover 6:45
9. Whisper Not 7:21
10. His Sister 6:30

CD2:
11. D's Fink 7:44
12. Slightly Hep 6:28
13. Where Am I? 5:50
14. Hasaan's Dream 8:44
15. I Remember Clifford 7:09
16. Mesabi Chant 6:11
17. Tip-Toeing [alternate Take] 6:42
18. Tip-Toeing [alternate Take] 6:43
19. Domingo 9:19

CD3:
20. Just by Myself 9:26
21. City Lights 5:46
22. You're Mine You 6:03
23. Temp de Waltz 6:24
24. Kin Folks 9:45
25. Just One of Those Things [alternate Take] 7:52
26. Just One of Those Things 7:17
27. Heavy Dipper 7:06

CD4:
28. A Night in Tunisia 9:24
29. Lover Man 6:52
30. New-Ma 8:16
31. Since I Fell for You 5:36
32. Personality 6:15
33. All at Once, You Love Her 5:29
34. Who Do You Love, I Hope 4:59
35. Candy 7:04
36. C. T. A. 5:06
37. All the Way 7:22

CD1:
File 1 | File 2
CD2:
File 3 | File 4
CD3:
File 5 | File 6
CD4:
File 7 | File 8

Lee Morgan recorded for Blue Note in the late '50s, playing seven dates between 1956 and 1958. Morgan was still in his teens at the time and half of the joy of The Complete Blue Note Lee Morgan Fifties Sessions is hearing the trumpeter develop at a rapid rate. The four-disc box set The Complete Blue Note encompasses sessions with Horace Silver, Paul Chambers, Benny Golson, Wynton Kelly, Sonny Clarke, Doug Watkins, and Art Taylor. Morgan may have been young at the time these were recorded, but he was impressive even at the beginning, playing blistering hard bop and lyrical ballads with equal ease. He may have gone on to record greater, more influential albums but this music remains exciting, vital, and simply joyous.

Bio:
Lee Morgan was a stalwart of the driving jazz-meets-funk-meets-blues grooves produced by Blue Note in the 1960's. A flashy player of enormous technique and invention, he became the natural successor to Clifford Brown, emerging on the jazz scene shortly after Brownie's death in 1956. Morgan quickly developed his own style, fusing classic bebop motifs with more modern rhythms, harmonies and melodies.

Born in Philadelphia on July 10, 1938, he began his trumpet studies with a private instructor, and continued them at Mastbaum High School for the Arts, where he also played the alto horn. A fan of jazz from an early age, he was exposed to a wide variety of live music in the vibrant Philadelphia music scene, which had produced such notables as John Coltrane, Benny Golson, the Heath brothers, and many others.

By the time he was 15, Morgan was leading his own group with bassist James "Spanky" DeBrest as his partner. He was also taking part in Tuesday night workshops at the Music City club, which brought him into early contact with Miles Davis and his primary early influence, Clifford Brown. After Morgan graduated from Mastbaum in 1956, he and DeBrest subbed with the Jazz Messengers when Art Blakey arrived in Philadelphia short two musicians. "Spanky stayed on," Morgan explained in the liner notes to his first Blue Note album. "I could have stayed too, but I didn't want to sign a contract, so I left after two weeks. Very soon after that, Dizzy Gillespie returned from his South American tour. Morgan's career took off when he joined Dizzy’s big band at the age of 17.

Dizzy was always a generous teacher, and allowed his young protégé plenty of solo space. This provided Morgan an excellent opportunity to gain experience before his return to Blakey's group in 1958 after Dizzy’s group disbanded. That year he recorded, Candy, his first of twenty-five Blue Note recordings as a leader, and though he was only 18 at the time, Morgan had already attracted attention with brassy acrobatic solos that heralded the arrival of a significant, new talent. While working with the Jazz Messengers, Morgan formed a great partnership with tenorist Benny Golson, and their shared sense of timing and musical rapport is obvious on the album Moanin', both on the title track and on numbers such as Blues March. Morgan shared the Messengers frontline with Golson, Hank Mobley and then Wayne Shorter until a heroin problem forced him to leave the band in 1961, (when he was replaced by Freddie Hubbard).

He returned to his native Philadelphia for a few years, where he maintained a low profile while battling his addiction, working occasionally with saxophonist Jimmy Heath. He returned to New York in 1963, where he recorded, The Sidewinder, on the Blue Note label with sideman Joe Henderson, This was Morgan’s greatest commercial success. He entered his greatest period, recording one memorable album after another, writing "Ceora" and "Speedball" and spending a second period with Blakey (1964-65).

He also recorded widely as a sideman on many classic jazz albums such as Gillespie's Night In Tunisia, John Coltrane's Blue Trane, Grachan Moncur's Evolution and dates for others, including Curtis Fuller, Philly Joe Jones, Wynton Kelly, Clifford Jordan, Hank Mobley and Wayne Shorter. Morgan was as comfortable unleashing dynamic displays of instrumental virtuosity on triple time blues as he was displaying controlled sensitivity and passion on ballads. His style included elements drawn from Dizzy Gillespie and Clifford Brown, but his own wide, crackling tone, his use of bluesy phrasing and effects, searing high register, human-voiced half-valve effects, and his dancing, funky, timing, was the essence of hard-bop.

Morgan's later bands featured Bennie Maupin or Billy Harper on saxophone, and while the modal jazz direction taken by many other bands became more prominent in his compositions, Morgan remained at heart a hard-bop trumpet player.

Lee Morgan’s fast lane lifestyle ended on February 19, 1972, when he was shot dead by his common-law wife, Helen More, during a performance at Slug's in New York, ending his life at the age of 33.

Lee Morgan - Caramba! 1968

Lee Morgan - Caramba 1968
BST 84289

This was one of the most obscure of all Lee Morgan Blue Note albums. A transitional effort that finds the trumpeter gradually moving beyond hard bop into more modal music, the date starts out with the surprisingly derivative title cut which is very similar to Eddie Harris' "Listen Here." Of the other selections, "Soulita" has the catchiest melody while Cal Massey's slow ballad "A Baby's Smile" was previously unreleased. While Morgan and his fine rhythm section (pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Billy Higgins) are in typically swinging form, Caramba is most notable for featuring the young Bennie Maupin. Sticking exclusively to tenor, Maupin (who would be much more distinctive within a year) mixes together Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter in winning fashion.
By Scott Yanow, All Music Guide.

Lee Morgan- (Trumpet)
Bennie Maupin- (Tenor Sax)
Cedar Walton- (Piano)
Reggie Workman- (Bass)
Billy Higgins- (Drums)

A1. Caramba 12:20
A2. Suicide City 7:32
B1. Cunning Lee 6:07
B2. Soulita 5:33
B3. Helen's Ritual 6:23

:: Caramba! ::