Lee Morgan – The Cooker

"Maybe Baby" by Buddy Holly was recorded after a concert at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on September 29, 1957 by Norman Petty. 1471 miles away on the same day in Hackensack, NJ, Lee Morgan was waiting for Hank Mobley to show up for this album's recording session and had Pepper Addams fill in last minute.

Just pulled out my copy for the first time in a while, and am surprised by the amount of surface noise. Lots of pops and clicks throughout side A. I feel like Tone Poets have gotten better over time, but this one is rough.

My copy sounds great, but I have nothing to compare this French Cooker with.

An outstanding album with mega performances by a brilliant band. The pressing itself is superb, flat as a pancake, dead quiet with zero noise, could barely hear the stylus land! Excellent. Thumbs up all the way.

Wow, this sounds great. It's reasonably quiet vinyl. Beautiful recorded sound. The sheer sound of Pepper Adams' horn enthralls me. Morgan is at his considerable best and his trumpet is reproduced beautifully. As others have noted, the soundstage is artificial, with both horns coming out of one speaker and the percussion coming out of the other one...very weird. Musically, this is not my favorite Lee Morgan record, but nonetheless it is great. It is the presence of Pepper Adams that sets this apart from other Lee Morgan albums and makes it a must-have! BTW there is a great photo of Lee Morgan inside the gatefold where he looks so young! (He was only 19 years old)

I love the album. I think it might be my favourite jazz album of all time. My question is.... do you think we'll ever see an AAA mono reissue from the master tapes like this beauty? I want to hear it!

Inherited a copy from my dad. NM/NM: still in cellophane (opened). Obi strip. Might put it up for sale..... we'll see.

Lee Morgan told radio interviewer Dan McClosky in 1969 that the 2nd horn on this recording session was supposed to be Hank Mobley, who was unable to make the session, and Pepper Adams was a last minute replacement. Morgan said the arrangements had to be reworked somewhat, and Adams was playing at the upper end of his horn's range more than he normally would to cover certain ages intended for tenor sax. Interview was available on Youtube as of Jan 2023.

Included in "The Complete Blue Note Lee Morgan Fifties Sessions"
https://discogs.sitiodesbloquea.com/master/1584692-Lee-Morgan-The-Complete-Blue-Note-Lee-Morgan-Fifties-Sessions

This pressing is exceptional and dead quiet. The first track on the B side 'Just One Of Those Things' really highlights the instrument separation and clarity. Everyone's firing and it's clear as day. Fantastic.