The Rumproller

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio on April 9 and 21, 1965, The Rumproller found Lee Morgan chasing the funky, boogaloo-inflected momentum of his massive 1964 hit "The Sidewinder," this time leaning on outside writers - including Andrew Hill for the loping title cut - rather than his own pen for the lead single. By this point Morgan was Blue Note's reigning young star, a former Jazz Messengers and Art Blakey alumnus whose trumpet combined dazzling technique with an unmistakably soulful, blues-rooted sensibility. Joining him is tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, then emerging as one of the label's most vital voices, alongside a fresh rhythm section of pianist Ronnie Mathews, bassist Victor Sproles and drummer Billy Higgins. The record captures the mid-1960s hard-bop mainstream at its most commercially minded, pairing groove-oriented material with the harmonic sophistication that defined the era's Blue Note house style. Critical reception was mixed-to-positive at the time and has remained so since, with some critics viewing it as a somewhat formulaic attempt to replicate "The Sidewinder's" success, while others praise the strength of the individual performances, particularly Henderson's soloing and Higgins' propulsive drumming. Nonetheless, the album holds a solid place in Morgan's prolific mid-1960s Blue Note run and remains a favorite among soul-jazz and boogaloo collectors for its instantly catchy title track.