His music career or heroin? Lee Morgan, unfortunately, always struggled to decide. Nonetheless, the 33 years he spent on Earth were more than enough to cement him as one of the greatest virtuoso jazz musicians of the 20th century. He was a master of hard bop who pretty much became synonymous with Blue Note Records, having recorded a good twenty albums for the American label and participating in many other sessions as a supporting musician. With a unique style that is, in part, a refined take on the sound of his idol, Clifford Brown, Lee Morgan was a roaring success. The Sidewinder, which he recorded in December 1963 for Alfred Lion’s label, will go down in history as one of the best-selling jazz albums the world has ever seen. This is bluesy hard bop at its best, backed by a solid rhythm section with a formidable, almost funky swing. Recorded with saxophonist Joe Henderson, pianist Barry Harris, double bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Billy Higgins, the tracks on this album are simply superb, boasting a catchy groove that remains unrivalled to this day.
The commercial success of The Sidewinder was a double-edged sword for Lee Morgan, who spent the thousands of dollars he made from it on white powder. Just three years later, America was swimming with stories about his downfall. Almost homeless, he even resorted to pawning his trumpet for a while to fund his habit. This sad tale, perhaps unsurprisingly, ends in tragedy: Lee Morgan was shot by his ex-wife in February 1972 in Slug’s Saloon, a jazz club in Manhattan’s East Village where he’d just performed. Thirteen years his senior, she was the very same woman who, just a few years earlier, had rescued him from the rocky bottom he’d become all too familiar with...
Despite the issues he faced during his life, Lee Morgan has left behind one of the most beautiful bodies of trumpet works ever created. He had a sound, style and approach that was entirely his own, one that was never marred by powdery residue. Conversely, it shone on all his records for Blue Note, including his legendary Search for the New Land, Cornbread, The Gigolo, Tom Cat, Candy, Delightfulee and, of course, The Sidewinder. The trumpeter also left his mark on many of his fellow musicians’ masterpieces: John Coltrane’s Blue Train, Grachan Moncur III’s Evolution, Joe Henderson’s Mode for Joe, Hank Mobley’s A Caddy for Daddy, Dizzy Gillespie’s At Newport, Jimmy Smith’s The Sermon! and even Wayne Shorter’s Night Dreamer.
