Taru

By the time of this 1968 session, the quintessential hard-bop trumpeter Lee Morgan, was stretching in several directions at once, pushing into freer forms and also pressing the crossover funk market that he had tapped so brilliantly with The Sidewinder. The different directions are apparent in the sidemen. Bennie Maupin made few recordings in the period, but he was among the most distinctive avant-garde tenor saxophonists, with a blunt, Rollins-inspired approach that would eventually come to the fore on Miles Davis's Bitches Brew and with Herbie and the Headhunters. Guitarist George Benson explores the funkier side of Wes Montgomery's style, while the rhythm section of pianist John Hicks, bassist Reggie Workman, and Billy Higgins is perfect for the potent mix of modal, hard-bop, and funk approaches that Morgan was pulling together. The trumpeter plays with his usual intensity, displaying quick musical wits and a sound that's almost menacing. --Stuart Broomer