Lee Morgan - Leeway [Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series, 180g]

Lee Morgan's Leeway pairs his trumpet with Jackie McLean's alto saxophone in a compact hard bop quintet built around Bobby Timmons on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. At Van Gelder Studio, the four-track program gives Morgan and McLean room for extended solos while Timmons and the rhythm section keep the session firmly in Blue Note's hard-driving style. Every selection comes from Morgan, McLean, or composer Cal Massey.

"These Are Soulful Days" opens with an easy swing and a Cal Massey melody, giving Morgan and McLean room for extended solos. Morgan's "The Lion And The Wolff" raises the pace with a hard-driving theme written as a tribute to Blue Note founders Alfred Lion and Francis Wolff. McLean's "Midtown Blues" shifts to an emphatic blues statement led by his alto saxophone. Massey's "Nakatini Suite" closes the album with a more rousing pace, with Timmons, Chambers, and Blakey supporting the two-horn front line.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series edition of Leeway is a stereo, all-analog vinyl record mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes. It is pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal in Germany, following the established production standard for the series. The single-LP pressing retains the complete four-track program, with two selections on each side and no added material.

• Format: Vinyl LP
• Standout tracks: These Are Soulful Days, The Lion And The Wolff, Midtown Blues, Nakatini Suite
• Pressing details: Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series, 180g Vinyl, Stereo, All-Analog Mastering by Kevin Gray from Original Master Tapes, Pressed at Optimal
• Genre/style: Hard Bop, Jazz, Instrumental Jazz
• UPC: 602478069871

"The Lion And The Wolff" and "Midtown Blues" supply the album's strongest hard bop drive, while "These Are Soulful Days" gives the quintet more space to stretch out. "Nakatini Suite" closes the session with the full group working through its longest piece.

* The Spotify track list may not exactly represent the tracks and audio of this LP edition.

Track List:

Side A:

1. These Are Soulful Days
2. The Lion And The Wolff

Side B:

1. Midtown Blues
2. Nakatini Suite