BST 84312

Lee Morgan - Charisma

Released - May 1969

Recording and Session Information

Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, September 29, 1966
Lee Morgan, trumpet; Jackie McLean, alto sax; Hank Mobley, tenor sax; Cedar Walton, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; Billy Higgins, drums.

1795 tk.4 The Double Up
1796 tk.6 Somethin' Cute
1797 tk.15 Sweet Honey Bee
1798 tk.17 The Murphy Man
1799 tk.20 Hey Chico
1800 tk.22 Rainy Night

Session Photos

Photos: © Francis Wolff/Mosaic Images 

https://www.mosaicrecordsimages.com/

Track Listing

Side One
Title	Author	Recording Date
Hey Chico	Lee Morgan	September 29 1966
Somethin' Cute	Lee Morgan	September 29 1966
Rainy Night	Cedar Walton	September 29 1966
Side Two
Sweet Honey Bee	Duke Pearson	September 29 1966
The Murphy Man	Duke Pearson	September 29 1966
The Double Up	Lee Morgan	September 29 1966

Liner Notes

Wherever the jazz winds blow, you'll find Lee Morgan blowing straight ahead and swinging. He blows with an unflagging zest tempered with superb control. Add to this, a few more Lee Morgan fundamentals such as a sense of good taste and perception, and you have clues to his charismatic powers.

From his debut as a teen-age jazz trumpeter, Lee Morgan's style and sound have abounded with a warm joi de vivre. Nearly seventeen years ago on his fourteenth birthday, Lee started to weave his magical dreams. With an almost urgent sense of motivation, Lee became technically articulate almost immediately. This firm grasp was expressed in a personal, exuberant and outgoing approach. Before he was out of his teens, he was playing in the crack trumpet squad of the Dizzy Gillespie big band. It was about a dozen years ago when I caught this high-spirited band at Birdland. Diz relinquished certain solo opportunities of his own and extended them to the startling young man from Philly.

In retrospect, it is interesting to note that Lee has remained in the generic style of his old boss, whose wit and enthusiasm coupled with a true, full ringing, brassy sound of the horn represent a change from the more introverted approach of Miles Davis or of Art Farmer, for instance. Lee extends the musical language and tradition of Fats Navarro, Dizzy, and Clifford Brown. In his steady, deliberate pace of maturing, Lee also practices the judicious use of space—admittedly a Miles Davis influence. Lee plays in an increasingly perceptible personal style. His music communicates with a sharp confident zing that fits into a well thought out structure indicating a strong sense of discipline and design which permits his own ideas to flow through with comfort, logic and zeal.

Lee has been using these consolidating elements in shaping his growing repertoire of compositions too. As he gains more ability and cohesiveness, his playing also tends to reflect an intuitive process of perfecting his improvised phrases. Playing with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers for two periods of several years he made further strides. These include a strong sense of responsibility to the listener and to his fellow performers, and an appreciation for organization. Lee's information and experience-rich musical environment has, indeed, helped him to forge the Lee Morgan way. Horace Silver recently said to me, "Lee is one of the few cats with an original style. And he writes good tunes—they all make sense. They are well planned. In the last few years he has truly developed the knack of appealing to the general public. Dig his lead-off tunes. Especially on a record date, Lee knows just what he wants and he gets what he wants. He's organized, man!"

There is far greater togetherness here than an ad hoc session would normally yield. All of the men on this album have frequently played with each other in one context or another. Moreover, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Cedar Walton and Lee, for instance, have all been members of Art Blakey's various editions of the Jazz Messengers. Paul Chambers and Billy Higgins have appeared as recording associates of all three horn men. The musical and psychological differences between any two of the group are very small. Evident on this album is the close rapport and high level of interaction directed toward a concept of oneness. It is the charismatic quality here that goes beyond the common experiences among musicians.

Jackie McLean, whose recent work shows absorption of new directions, is really a blend of the historical past and the uncharted musical future. Yet it is evident that whatever his preoccupation, his deep, vigorous roots come through with a life-giving force in his music. And adapting himself to the environment of this album, he cuts loose with assertive solos that swing without caution. His challenging playing has stimulating values to the other voices here.

There is an ease to Hank Mobley's lyrical approach, and a wonderful tonal quality that is never strident. And when he cooks, he does so unabashedly, generating a full-throttled surge of emotional heat. Pianist Cedar Walton is really like someone in love all the time. He pleads, caresses, and conveys a constant presence of empathy and romance. His playing is beautiful and this is coordinated well in his writing. Listen to his "Rainy Night" here; it's a fine example of his melodic gift. When Cedar stretches out (and I love it when he does!), the clarity and logic of his outlook uncontaminated by any cuteness comes through like the groovy, fresh air of nature's unspoiled out-of-doors that comes through in the Salem cigarette TV commercials. Although his stylistic model is Bud Powell, Cedar's own ideas make him a creative and exciting composer-pianist.

The late Paul Chambers' brilliant prowess lifts him to the exceptional category. As he did for years playing with Miles, he manages to be a vital team man. In a tribute to Paul, Jackie McLean commented, "Listen to the way he plays. You're all right when he's behind you." And the man who assumes a helluva lot more than just a metronomic task is drummer Billy Higgins. Regardless of the tempo or meter, his playing is very musical. Billy just boils underneath the group with a strong but not overbearing rhythmic thrust and a spirit that sings and swings. He helps to glue the group together and you can hear and feel this. Billy loves to play—digs every second of it. Have you ever watched Billy's joyous expression when he plays? If you have, you know what happiness is! Lee Morgan is, indeed, an astute organizer of appropriate talent. For this sextet really makes it. And in truth, it is difficult to cite any particular tune as it is a collection that demands to be enjoyed in its total form. So in the same spirit, I feel that something as charismatic as the music and the men awaiting you do not necessarily need a tune by tune account. Charisma is a rare, awesome and beautiful thing and should not be over used or abused. Finally, the aura of charisma by Lee Morgan and his jazz colleagues transcends further comment...you can dig it.

—HERB WONG