Lee Morgan - Candy (1958)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 2007 Rudy Van Gelder Edition.

Over the past few years, I've formed the opinion that Lee Morgan is the best jazz trumpeter I've heard. (Miles remains the most innovative and important, which is a whole 'nuther discussion entirely.) Morgan's tone, facility, technique, phrasing, etc., are impeccable and I've enjoyed listening to him more and more.

Only 19 years old when this was recorded and 20 when it was released - it just occurred to me that Morgan was born six months after my own father's birth in 1938 - his abilities are breathtakingly remarkable. He and the rest of the quartet shine on a nice mix of popular tunes and show tunes.

Original liner notes by Robert Levin

Morgan - trumpet
Sonny Clark - piano
Doug Watkins - bass
Art Taylor - drums

Packaging includes original liner notes by Robert Levin, 2007 notes by Bob Blumenthal, and one bonus track.

Reviews/ratings:

• CashBox: "Excellent front showing by Morgan"
• High Fidelity: "His tone is big and firm"
• Billboard (★★★): "Set should appeal to modern jazz buffs."
• DownBeat: ★★★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★

Also reissued with different title and/or cover art:

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks:

1. Candy (music by Alex Kramer, lyrics by Mack David & Joan Whitney) - pop song from 1944.
2. Since I Fell For You (Buddy Johnson) - pop song from 1945 and one of my favorites
3. C.T.A. (Jimmy Heath) - introduced by Miles Davis in 1953
4. All The Way (music by Jimmy Van Heusen, lyrics by Sammy Cahn) - introduced by Frank Sinatra in the 1957 movie The Joker Is Wild; it won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
5. Who Do You Love, I Hope (Irving Berlin) - from the 1946 musical Annie Get Your Gun
6. Personality (music by Jimmy Van Heusen, lyrics by Johnny Burke) - from the 1946 film Road To Utopia.
7. Bonus track: All At Once You Love Her (music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II) - from the 1955 musical Pipe Dream

All are worth your time. Highlights are Since I Fell For You Today and the smokin' take on All At Once You Love Her. Why the latter didn't make the original cut is beyond me. Today, I'm thinking Morgan's best solo is in C.T.A.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None