The Cooker is a studio album by the American jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan. It was released through Blue Note Records in January 1958. The quintet features saxophonist Pepper Adams and rhythm section Bobby Timmons, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones. The recording was made on September 29, 1957.

Background

Recording and composition

Recorded and released while Morgan was still just nineteen years old, The Cooker is the first album to feature his own original compositions, as well as the first without any compositions written by Benny Golson.

Style

The Cooker is considered a demonstration of Morgan's early bebop virtuosity, with its frequent double time improvisational lines. It is also noted for performance trademarks which would later come to typify Morgan's style, such as clipped notes, upward slurs, half-valving, and triple-tonguing.

Reception

The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states, "Morgan plays remarkably well for his age (already ranking just below Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis), making this an essential acquisition."

Track listing

Personnel

Musicians

• Lee Morgan – trumpet

• Pepper Adams – baritone saxophone

• Bobby Timmons – piano

• Paul Chambers – bass

• Philly Joe Jones – drums

Technical personnel

• Alfred Lion – producer

• Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer, mastering

• Reid Miles – design

• Francis Wolff – photography

• Robert Levin – liner notes

References