The Sidewinder by Lee Morgan is a true classic for many reasons. The title track finally established the genre of Souljazz and also made it appealing to a wide audience released as a single. The other tracks, exclusively original compositions by Mr. Morgan, are top class Hardbop, full of virtuosity and exciting solos, on the cutting edge of the times and beyond. Mr. Morgan also plays with the still young Joe Henderson for the first time and is so enthusiastic about him that he pays homage to him in the liner notes.

‘Now that I’ve worked with Joe, I’m eager to get together with him again; he’s very efficient in every way.‘ Absolutely comprehensible! After a long stay in Philadelphia, this first New York based Lee Morgan LP on Blue Note should not be missing in any collection. And actually not even the seven Blue Note albums before it: BLP 1538, 1541, 1557, 1575, 1578, 1590 and 4034. Even though this is a very expensive trip, unfortunately.

Stefan Mohr