It seems strange that the music on this CD was not released initially until 1980. Trumpeter
Lee Morgan
had had an unexpected hit with
"The Sidewinder,"
so his more challenging recordings were temporarily put aside. As it turns out, this was one of
Morgan
's better sets from the 1960s and he had gathered together quite an all-star cast: altoist
Jackie McLean
, trombonist
Curtis Fuller
, pianist
McCoy Tyner
, bassist
Bob Cranshaw
, and drummer
Art Blakey
. They perform
"Rigormortis,"
's
"Twilight Mist,"
and three of the trumpeter's originals, including the title cut. The advanced
hard bop
music still sounds fresh decades later despite its initial neglect. [The
Rudy Van Gelder
editon of
Tom Cat
includes remastered sound and new liner notes.] ~ Scott Yanow