The sound of Lee Morgan’s trumpet defined the hard bop era of Jazz like no other. Lee swang hard with a blazing technique, a brilliant tone, and the confidence to hold his own against anyone, evidence of which can be seen in his firework display of a solo on John Coltrane’s classic “Blue Train” after the leader takes his turn.

Lee was plucked from his hometown of Philadelphia at the age of 15 when Dizzy Gillespie recruited him to join his big band, eventually cutting his first session as a leader for Blue Note Records in 1956 at the age of 18. However, it wasn’t until 1963 that Lee would record “The Sidewinder,” his funky blues hit that cracked the Billboard charts and appeared in a high-profile car commercial.

“The Sidewinder” kicks off this six-track introduction to Lee’s classic Blue Note recordings, which also features his ballad masterpiece “Ceora,” the hard-swinging “Speedball” and “Nite Flight,” the laid-back groove of “Sweet Honey Bee,” and the gentle calypso “Soulita.”