Lee Morgan Procrastinator CD

Personnel: Lee Morgan (trumpet); Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Herbie Hancock (piano); Ron Carter (bass); Billy Higgins (drums).
Producer: Alfred Lion.
Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on July 14, 1967. Originally released on Blue Note (ST-83023). Includes liner notes by Bob Blumenthal.
This is part of Blue Note's Limited Edition Connoisseur series.
Personnel: Lee Morgan (trumpet); George Coleman, Wayne Shorter (tenor saxophone); Julian Priester (trombone); Herbie Hancock (piano); Bobby Hutcherson (vibraphone); Mickey Roker, Billy Higgins (drums).
Liner Note Author: Bob Blumenthal.
Recording information: New York, NY (07/14/1967-10/10/1969); Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (07/14/1967-10/10/1969).
It is surprising that Lee Morgan's The Procrastinator was not released when it was recorded in 1967 for the sextet (which includes Wayne Shorter, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Higgins) lives up to their potential on a well-rounded set of originals by Morgan and Shorter. The music ranges from the funky "Party Time" (which sounds like it could have been written by Horace Silver) to more explorative pieces. ~ Scott Yanow
The fact that THE PROCRASTINATOR is a shade more atmospheric than other Morgan recordings from this period can be attributed to several factors. For one, the presence of Bobby Hutcherson on vibes gives Morgan new colors to work with as a composer, which he does to great effect on the title cut. The title cut features an elegiac opening statement reminiscent of the Modern Jazz Quartet; the tune ultimately yields to a sort of long-form variation on the blues. Another factor is the continued involvement of Wayne Shorter as a composer on Morgan's dates. Shorter's two contributions, the ballad "Dear Sir" and the bossa "Rio" share a questioning, ambiguous quality that draws the trumpeter into a more introspective zone.
Elsewhere, however, Morgan is still his confident and exuberant self. "Party Time," while less self-consciously "funky" than other tunes of the era, is nevertheless the kind of simmering, get-down minor blues that epitomized the "Blue Note Sound." The elegant, swinging "Soft Touch" is also in a minor key--the pensive head gives way to a series of searching solos over the uncluttered changes. "Stopstart," in this context, comes across as almost a throwback, more bebop than hardbop.