September 18, 2019
After trumpeter Lee Morgan set the music world on fire with the runaway success of his hit soul-jazz single “The Sidewinder” in 1964, many artists tried to duplicate his triumphant feat in search of another boogaloo sensation. Even Morgan himself cooked up funky follow-ups using “The Sidewinder” recipe on his subsequent Blue Note recordings like “The Rumproller,” “Yes I Can, No You Can’t,” and “Cornbread.”
It was an incredibly prolific period in Morgan’s career. In the 2 years after recording The Sidewinder he made another 6 albums, eventually recording a staggering 25 albums for Blue Note by the time of the trumpeter’s tragic death in 1972 at age 33.
On Cornbread, recorded in September 1965, the only common band mate from The Sidewinder session was the immaculate-swinging and sweet-smiling drummer Billy Higgins. Morgan also enlisted a top-flight horn section of alto saxophonist Jackie McLean (Lee returned the favor less than a week later by playing on Jackie’s Jackknife album) and tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley (Lee served as a sideman on many of his albums around the time that he signed with Blue Note and debuted with his 1956 album Lee Morgan Indeed!). For the piano chair, Lee brought in Blue Note stalwart Herbie Hancock from Miles Davis’s classic ‘60s quintet. Bassist Lee Ridley, who went on to become an important jazz educator, co-fueled the rhythm section with Higgins.
The album, which features four Morgan compositions and a standard, leads off with “Cornbread.” It opens with the delicate bounce of Higgins’ ride cymbal and Ridley’s grooving bass line adorned by Herbie’s shimmering piano before the horns deliver a high-spirited fanfare. Lee’s bravado solo sets the tone followed by some passionate remarks from Hank and Jackie with Herbie getting the final say. The trumpeter’s tribute to his steadfast drummer, “Our Man Higgins,” comes next. It’s full-throttled bop that offers Billy the spotlight, which he takes advantage of with his rowdy, banging drum shots.
While The Sidewinder didn’t slow down long enough for a ballad, on Cornbread, Lee varies the program here with 2 down-tempo numbers beginning with one of his best-known songs, the bossa-hinted “Ceora.” The frontline flows with the melody after a delicate Herbie intro, and Lee reaches for the stars during his marvelous solo turn. That’s followed by a relaxed and gorgeous treatment of the Arlen-Koehler standard, “Ill Wind,” where Lee plays in a captivating bluesy vein using a mute.
The album closes with the rambunctious “Most Like Lee.” It’s a hard-charging jaunty tune where the band members stretch freely (Ridley even gets to check in with his sole album solo). Lee leads the charge with his clarion trumpeting, and Herbie takes his most creative stand on the album, dancing in the background comping, coloring, inciting, romping.
