John Coltrane - Blue Train

The tenor sax giant had signed with another label when he embarked on this one-off date for Blue Note, an excursion that paid off with an enduring modern jazz masterpiece. Boasting volley after volley of smart soloing and intuitively swinging rhythm work, Blue Train is a joy, from the coolly precise ensemble entry on the opening title piece through the set's balance of elegant hard bop conversations and smooth downshifts into ballads. John Coltrane wrote four originals for the date, all of them now regarded as standards, and assembled a rhythm section including pianist Kenny Drew, Miles Davis's rhythm section of bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Philly Joe Jones, and trumpeter Lee Morgan and trombonist Curtis Fuller, both recent Blue Note recruits. Coltrane's signature sound, now fully developed but still hewing more to familiar blues and chromatic harmonies than his later modalities, is confident and expansive, and his partners respond vividly throughout. --Sam Sutherland

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Art Blakey - The Big Beat

Perhaps the best known and most loved of Art Blakey's works, The Big Beat is a testament to the creative progress of one of the best jazz drummers of all time. Now over 40 years old, The Big Beat is as thunderous as ever. Here, Blakey combines his rhythm with tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter's brilliant composing to make what could only be termed a "structurally raw" album. Each track rips through bebop as quickly as Blakey ripped through drum heads. "Dat Dere" and "Lester Left Town" stand out as part of the true canons for hot jazz. Two alternate versions of "It's Only a Paper Moon" round out the album, both brimming with the fluid integrity of the song and the drive only Blakey could provide. As one of the few drummers to step out and lead, not just play backup, Blakey created a true jazz treasure in The Big Beat.

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Lee Morgan - Indeed

For years, the only Lee Morgan 50s session available as a single album was Candy (see my review). But now that the Mosaic set "The Complete Blue Note Lee Morgan Fifties Sessions" has sold out, and presumably the licensing contract has expired, all six original albums have finally been reissued in 2007 by the mother label, EMI. "Indeed" is indeed the trumpeter's first recording -- made on November 4, 1956, a day before "Introducing Lee Morgan," but the latter Savoy session made it to market first back in the day. "Indeed" is a quintet date featuring Lee, lesser known Clarence Sharpe on alto sax, Horace Silver on piano, Wilbur Ware on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. It is a typical "blowing session" of the day, though the original compositions of Silver, Donald Byrd, Benny Golson and Owen Marshall (the latter two will contribute on Lee's next album Lee Morgan, Vol. 2 -- see my review) show that Alfred Lion went to great lengths to showcase his young star in a proper setting. For most, Lee Morgan doesn't hit his stride until his stint with the Jazz Messengers or even his landmark The Sidewinder, but "Indeed" is a great look at early Lee. By Michael B. Richman

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Lee Morgan - Delightfulee

Blue Note's continuing re-release of its Lee Morgan catalogue has produced a major find. Four of the tracks, recorded at the later May 27th session, had the following line up: Lee Morgan (trumpet) Joe Henderson (tenor sax) McCoy Tyner (piano) Bob Cranshaw (bass), Billy Higgins (drums). That's the line up for "The Sidewinder" "– with McCoy Tyner replacing Barry Harris on piano. Those four tracks ("Nite-Flite", "Zambia", "The Delightful Deggie" and "Ca-Lee-So", all Lee Morgan compositions) are every bit as strong as the playing on "The Sidewinder". The inventive partnership with Joe Henderson is really firing, resulting in great music to stand alongside their collaboration on "The Sidewinder" and "Mode For Joe". It is also revealing to hear more of the Joe Henderson/McCoy Tyner/Bob Cranshaw collaboration that graced "Inner Urge". Strong, approachable hard bop and very highly recommended.

The remainder of the album features a 10 man ensemble (Lee Morgan, Ernie Royal (trumpets) Tom McIntosh (trombone) Jim Buffington (french horn) Don Butterfield (tuba) Phil Woods (alto sax, flute) Wayne Shorter (tenor sax) Danny Bank (baritone sax , bass clarinet, flute) McCoy Tyner (piano) Bob Cranshaw (bass) Philly Joe Jones (drums). This ambitious music, with arrangements by Oliver Nelson, was recorded at the earlier April 8th session. "Sunrise, Sunset" features important solos by Wayne Shorter and Lee Morgan, both full of invention and surprise. McCoy Tyner is characteristically fluent throughout. There are further versions of "Zambia" and "The Delightful Deggie" but with the setting now expanded to take in the increased tonal range of the larger ensemble, there is no hint of repetition with Oliver Nelson delivering "Blues and The Abstract Truth" – like dynamics. The only disappointing track is "Yesterday" (a seemingly hastily conceived take on the Lennon / McCartney tune). The larger ensemble has less immediate impact than the Joe Henderson/McCoy Tyner sessions but becomes more involving on closer listening.

Overall, a major re-discovery that benefits from the excellently judged remastering of Rudy Van Gelder. Review from http://100greatestjazzalbums.blogspot.com/

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