| The Cooker | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 1958 [1] | |||
| Recorded | September 29, 1957 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio Hackensack, NJ | |||
| Genre | Hard bop | |||
| Length | 38:51 | |||
| Label | Blue Note BLP 1578 | |||
| Producer | Alfred Lion | |||
| Lee Morgan chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Cooker is an album by American jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan recorded on September 29, 1957, and released on Blue Note in January 1958. [1] The quintet features saxophonist Pepper Adams and rhythm section Bobby Timmons, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones.
Recorded and released while Morgan was still just nineteen years old, The Cooker is the first album to feature his own original compositions, as well as the first without any compositions written by Benny Golson. [2]
The Cooker is considered a demonstration of Morgan's early bebop virtuosity, with its frequent double time improvisational lines. [3] [4] It is also noted for performance trademarks which would later come to typify Morgan's style, such as clipped notes, upward slurs, half-valving, and triple-tonguing. [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [6] |
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states, "Morgan plays remarkably well for his age (already ranking just below Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis), making this an essential acquisition." [5]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Night in Tunisia" | 9:24 | |
| 2. | "Heavy Dipper" | Morgan | 7:05 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just One of Those Things" | Cole Porter | 7:18 |
| 2. | "Lover Man" |
| 6:50 |
| 3. | "New-Ma" | Morgan | 8:14 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Just One of Those Things" (alternate take) | Porter | 7:50 |
Edward Lee Morgan was an American jazz trumpeter and composer. One of the key hard bop musicians of the 1960s and a cornerstone of the Blue Note label, Morgan came to prominence in his late teens, recording with bandleaders like John Coltrane, Curtis Fuller, Dizzy Gillespie, Hank Mobley and Wayne Shorter, and playing in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.
Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark was an American jazz pianist and composer who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom.
Henry Mobley was an American tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone, that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Lester Young, and his style that was laid-back, subtle and melodic, especially in contrast with players such as Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. The critic Stacia Proefrock claimed him "one of the most underrated musicians of the bop era." Mobley's compositions include "Double Exposure", "Soul Station", and "Dig Dis".
McKinley Howard "Kenny" Dorham was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and occasional singer. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention or public recognition from the jazz establishment that many of his peers did. For this reason, writer Gary Giddins said that Dorham's name has become "virtually synonymous with 'underrated'."
Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III was an American jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 42 pieces, was the leader on eighteen albums spanning 28 years, and participated in 600 sessions as a sideman. He worked with an array of musicians, and had especially fruitful collaborations with trumpeter Donald Byrd and as a member of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band.
Douglas Watkins was an American jazz double bassist. He was best known for being an accompanist to various hard bop artists in the Detroit area, including Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean.
Robert Henry Timmons was an American jazz pianist and composer. He was a sideman in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers for two periods, between which he was part of Cannonball Adderley's band. Several of Timmons' compositions written when part of these bands – including "Moanin'", "Dat Dere", and "This Here" – enjoyed commercial success and brought him more attention. In the early and mid-1960s he led a series of piano trios that toured and recorded extensively.
A Night in Tunisia is a studio album by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, released in May 1961 through Blue Note Records. It was recorded in August 1960 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Clifford Laconia Jordan was an American jazz tenor saxophone player. While in Chicago, he performed with Max Roach, Sonny Stitt, and some rhythm and blues groups. He moved to New York City in 1957, after which he recorded three albums for Blue Note. He recorded with Horace Silver, J.J. Johnson, and Kenny Dorham, among others. He was part of the Charles Mingus Sextet, with Eric Dolphy, during its 1964 European tour.
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, also called Moanin', is a studio album by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers recorded on October 30, 1958 and released on Blue Note later that year.
Whims of Chambers is a studio album by the jazz bassist Paul Chambers. It was released through Blue Note Records circa January 1957. The sextet assembled for the recording consists of trumpeter Donald Byrd, saxophonist John Coltrane, guitarist Kenny Burrell, Horace Silver, Chambers and Philly Joe Jones.
Poppin' is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley first released on Blue Note Japan in 1980 as GXF 3066. It was recorded on October 20, 1957 and features Mobley, trumpeter Art Farmer, baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, pianist Sonny Clark, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer “Philly” Joe Jones.
Leeway is an album by American jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan recorded on April 28, 1960 and released on Blue Note the following year. Morgan's quintet features saxophonist Jackie McLean and rhythm section Bobby Timmons, Paul Chambers and Art Blakey.
Goin' Up is an album by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard released on the Blue Note label in 1961. It features performances by Hubbard, Hank Mobley, McCoy Tyner, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones.
Tender Moments is the eighth album by jazz pianist McCoy Tyner and his second released on the Blue Note label. It was recorded in December 1967 and features performances by Tyner with an expanded group featuring trumpeter Lee Morgan, trombonist Julian Priester, French horn player Bob Northern, tuba player Howard Johnson, alto saxophonist James Spaulding, tenor saxophonist Bennie Maupin, bassist Herbie Lewis and drummer Joe Chambers.
Drums around the Corner is a posthumous album by Art Blakey recorded in 1958 and 1959, but not released until 1999.
Chet is an album by jazz trumpeter Chet Baker first released in 1959. The record is sometimes subtitled The Lyrical Trumpet of Chet Baker. Chet features performances by Baker with alto flautist Herbie Mann, baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams, pianist Bill Evans, guitarist Kenny Burrell, bassist Paul Chambers, and either Connie Kay or Philly Joe Jones playing drums. It was recorded in December 1958 and January 1959 and released on the Riverside label.
The Complete Blue Note Hank Mobley Fifties Sessions is limited edition box set that was released by Mosaic Records in 1998. Included are Mobley's recordings for Blue Note in the late 1950s from the albums The Hank Mobley Quartet, Hank Mobley Sextet, Hank Mobley & His All-Stars, Hank Mobley Quintet, Hank, Hank Mobley, Curtain Call, Peckin' Time and Poppin' . The albums were recorded with Art Blakey, Donald Byrd, Paul Chambers, Sonny Clark, Kenny Dorham, Art Farmer, Bill Hardman, Milt Jackson, Philly Joe Jones, Wynton Kelly, Lee Morgan, Charlie Persip, Jimmy Rowser, Horace Silver, Art Taylor, Bobby Timmons, Wilbur Ware, and Doug Watkins.
Chambers' Music is the debut album by jazz bassist Paul Chambers. It was released in September 1956 on the Jazz West label. It features Chambers with his Miles Davis bandmates, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane and drummer Philly Joe Jones, along with pianist Kenny Drew, and baritone saxophonist Pepper Adams and trombonist Curtis Fuller on three tracks.
Benny Golson and the Philadelphians is an album by saxophonist Benny Golson which was recorded in November and December 1958. Originally released on the United Artists label, the album was re-issued in 1998 on the Blue Note label with four additional bonus tracks.
