Lee Morgan - Sidewinder

Analog Productions 2xLP 45rpm 180g. Limited edition. M-/VG+

From dwelling in the depths of despairing obscurity to being the celebrated champion of a new style of jazz, trumpeter Lee Morgan paved the way for the popularity of the 60s soul-jazz phenomenon with his catchy 10-minute gem, “The Sidewinder.” While all sorts of innovations in jazz being distilled at the time—from Miles Davis’s new-styled quintet to John Coltrane’s classic quartet—the brewing of boogaloo came of age through the trumpeter’s distinctive voice and upbeat, funky original compositions.

Recorded in December 1963 at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio and released in 1964—was both a comeback and a coronation. The lead-off title track became a crossover hit that in edited form became a high-charting single and even got scooped up by the automaker Chrysler for a TV commercial (used without permission or compensation, the ad was soon yanked). The tune, with a simple—and listener accessible—24-bar blues theme, was omnipresent on the airwaves and in jukeboxes. The first album pressing of 4,000 copies sold out within days.