An excellent early session from a young
Lee Morgan – a set that we'd rank right up there with his best Blue Note material of the time! The set's from a time when
Lee's trumpet was a key force in the Jazz Messengers – and there's definitely a Messengers vibe going on here, thanks to drums from Art Blakey – who works in a
quintet alongside
Clifford Jordan on tenor, Wynton Kelly on piano, and Paul Chambers on bass.
Jordan's tenor has a nice sharp edge – and like some of the Wayne Shorter sessions for Vee Jay, there's a nice sense of darkness here that's a bit different than some of
Morgan's usual moments. Titles include "Terrible T", "Mogie", "Bess", and Wayne Shorter's "Running Brook".
(Mono rainbow label pressing with deep groove and ARP stamp. Cover has a small bottom seam split, some surface wear & aging, name in faded marker. Labels have name in marker.)