blog post Lee Morgan’s Sidewinder, a soul spark in a life of hard bop

40 years ago this February, the great trumpeter Lee Morgan met his end in an instant. He was shot by his common-law wife, in the hustle and bustle of a club called the Slug in New York City, before he could take the stage for another set.   

When he was killed, at the ripe old age of 33, Lee Morgan had already made at least 30 records as a leader, and nearly 60 as a sideman.

He was an integral part of several iconic recordings, and a key member of the legendary Blue Note stable. He laid out with tenacity on John Coltrane's Blue Train (1957), and bent notes in brash, bluesy fashion on Art Blakey's Moanin’ (1958).  

All the while, he made several records under his own name. But in 1961, he left Art Blakey and New York City and went home to Philadelphia to try to kick a heroin habit.  

He returned in 1963, and The Sidewinder, his comeback record as a leader, was also a breakthrough.  

The title track, as you can hear above, was a bit of a left turn. A hastily written composition meant to fill out an album, it turned out to be an irresistible dance number that crossed over into popular music and ended up becoming a hit. The first pressing sold out in a weekend.  

“The Sidewinder” was a different animal than much of the tight, lithe, hard bop that Morgan had committed to vinyl by that point; he would continue to blow hard on his own and on others' sessions – and with a bleary-eyed, lyrical beauty on the ballads – but with “The Sidewinder” he had hit on a dance thing. It was infused with soul and R&B, but still had mean jazz chops. You couldn't help but move to it. And why would you resist? 

Morgan went back to the well a few times, for more of that – and came up with “The Rumproller,” “Cornbread,” “Yes I Can, No You Can't” and “Caramba.”  

Blue Note Records went back to the well, too. The label explored soul and dance sounds throughout the ’60s, with artists like Donald Byrd, Lou Donaldson, Lonnie Smith, Reuben Wilson and many more. Samples from these records later became key building blocks for hip-hop artists.  

But for Lee Morgan, the sound in “The Sidewinder” was just one flavour, just something he hit on after scribbling for 20 minutes in a studio bathroom, with everybody waiting. 

All kinds of things could fit in Lee Morgan's bag. His first Blue Note session on his return from Philadelphia was with trombonist Grachan Moncur III. The record was called Evolution, and it was a detailed memo from the avant-garde department.   

One month later, he laid down “The Sidewinder.”  

He could play anything he wanted, and he played it with aplomb.