Lee Morgan & Wynton Kelly – Dizzy, Atmosphere

This somewhat obscure Lee Morgan set (originally cut for Specialty and made available on CD in the OJC series) features the trumpeter with other then-current members of the Dizzy Gillespie big band: trombonist Al Grey, tenor saxophonist Billy Mitchell, baritonist Billy Root, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul West, and drummer Charlie Persip. With arrangements provided by Benny Golson and Roger Spotts, the music is modern bop for the period. Highlights include the ten-and-a-half-minute “Dishwater,” “Over the Rainbow,” and what was probably the first-ever version of Golson’s “Whisper Not.” Morgan plays extremely well throughout the spirited set, and he was just 18 at the time.

Dizzy Atmosphere