The Sidewinder (album)

The Sidewinder is a 1964 album by jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan, recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood, New Jersey. It was released on Blue Note label as BLP 4157 and BST 84157.

The title track "The Sidewinder" was one of the defining recordings of the soul jazz genre, becoming a jazz standard. An edited version was released as a single.

The album was to become a huge seller, and highly influential - many subsequent Lee Morgan albums, and other Blue Note discs, would duplicate (or approximate) this album's format, by following a long, funky opening blues with a handful of conventional hard bop tunes. Record producer Michael Cuscuna recalls the unexpected success: "the company issued only 4,000 copies upon release. Needless to say, they ran out of stock in three or four days. And 'The Sidewinder' became a runaway smash making the pop 100 charts." Said piece would be even used as the music of a Chrysler TV ad as well as a theme for television shows. It was also used by Noir Désir, in the song "Lolita Nie En Bloc" (from the album One Trip, One Noise).

The original album's five tracks, all written by Morgan, are heavily blues-based, and feature tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, then 26, whom Morgan (then 25) claimed at the time to be mentoring. Also present are the noted jazz drummer Billy Higgins, and double bassist Bob Cranshaw.

Reception
The Penguin Guide to Jazz selected this album as part of its suggested "Core Collection" (with a crown) calling the title track "a glorious 24-bar theme as sinuous and stinging as the beast of the title. It was both the best and worst thing that was ever to happen to Morgan before the awful events of 19 February 1972," referring to Morgan's killing at the hand of his common-law wife. The album was identified by Scott Yanow in his Allmusic essay "Hard Bop" as one of the 17 Essential Hard Bop Recordings.

Track listing
All songs composed by Lee Morgan.
 * 1) "The Sidewinder" – 10:25
 * 2) "Totem Pole"  – 10:11
 * 3) "Gary's Notebook"  – 6:03
 * 4) "Boy, What a Night"  – 7:30
 * 5) "Hocus Pocus"  – 6:21
 * 6) "Totem Pole" [Alternate Take] - 9:57 Bonus track on CD reissue

Personnel

 * Lee Morgan – trumpet
 * Joe Henderson – tenor saxophone
 * Barry Harris – piano
 * Bob Cranshaw – double bass
 * Billy Higgins – drums