Photo courtesy of Snap Man on Flickr.
On August 11, Lee went back into the studio to record this session Tom Cat, issued here for the first time. Blakey, who had stopped doing sideman recording datres in early 1962, was willing to this one for Lee.
Meanwhile, The Sidewinder was released. As the story goes, neither Lee nor Alfred Lion of BLue Note plotted musically for a smash. In fact, the company issued only about 4,000 copies upon release. Needless to say, they ran out of stock in three or four days. And The Sidewinderi became a runaway smash, making the pop 100 charts. It was heard on jukeboxes, AM stations, as a theme for televisions shows, and even on a Chrysler automobile ad on TV. Jazz had its first crossover hit.
The result was a considerable amount of rethining by Blue Note and a certain amount of pressure applied to them from distributors to come up with more of the same. Search for New Land and Tom Cat were shelved temporarily, while Morgan returned to the studio to try for a follow-up, which was Andrew Hill’s Rumproller. Search was eventually issued a few years later, but Tom Cat was somehow forgotten.
— Michael Cuscuna, from the original liner notes. 1981.
Song ‘Exotique’ written by Lee Morgan. Performed in 1964 Lee Morgan, but not released till 1981’s Tom Cat.
Lee Morgan, trumpet | Curtis Fuller, trombone | Jackie McLean, alto sax | McCoy Tyner, piano | Bob Cranshaw, bass | Art Blakey, drums
