Lee Morgan - The Cooker [Blue Note Tone Poet, 180g Vinyl LP]

Just two weeks after his stunning performance on John Coltrane's Blue Train, nineteen-year-old Lee Morgan returned to Rudy Van Gelder's studio with fury. Recorded September 29, 1957, The Cooker was Morgan's fifth Blue Note album as a leader and the first to feature his own original compositions. The quintet assembled baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams with the rhythm section from Blue Train: pianist Bobby Timmons, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. The Cooker reveals a young man breaking free from Clifford Brown's shadow to establish his own sound and musical identity.

Morgan opens with a molten nine-minute take on "A Night In Tunisia," displaying chromatic runs and vibrating tremolos that seem impossible for a teenager. His original "Heavy Dipper" swings fiercely with cohesive ensemble work, while "New-Ma" anticipates the feel of Sonny Clark's "Cool Struttin'" with its relaxed walking bassline. Adams delivers husky, dynamic baritone playing throughout, and Timmons crafts tasteful blues tales on the ballad "Lover Man." The pairing of Morgan's buoyant, urgent trumpet with Adams's baritone creates a satisfying blend of high and low registers.

This Blue Note Tone Poet Series edition features 180g vinyl mastered all-analog by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio directly from the original master tapes and pressed at Record Technology Inc. (RTI) in California. The Tone Poet Series is produced by Joe Harley and packaged in deluxe tip-on gatefold jackets. The all-analog stereo mastering captures Morgan at his early bebop peak, demonstrating the virtuosity that would make him one of hard bop's greatest trumpeters.

• Format: 180g LP gatefold
• Standout tracks: "A Night In Tunisia," "Heavy Dipper," "Lover Man," "New-Ma," "Just One Of Those Things"
• Pressing details: Blue Note Tone Poet Series, all-analog mastering by Kevin Gray from original master tapes, pressed at RTI
• Genre/style: Hard Bop, Bebop, Jazz
• UPC: 602508600425

Morgan's fifth Blue Note album captures the nineteen-year-old trumpet prodigy finding his voice on audiophile 180g vinyl.

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

Track List:

Side A:

1. A Night In Tunisia
2. Heavy Dipper

Side B:

1. Just One Of Those Things
2. Lover Man
3. New-Ma