Lee Morgan ¡Caramba! Vinyl Review: The 12-Minute Modal Burn

Why This Record Matters to Collectors Right Now

Lee Morgan - ¡Caramba!: Why does a 1968 Blue Note session with a 12-minute opener still feel this alive?

Because it's the only Morgan record where he gave Bennie Maupin room to breathe fire. The title track-twelve minutes and twenty seconds of modal tension-is Morgan stepping aside from his usual hard-bop brevity to let the band stretch. Cedar Walton's piano comping is a textbook case of harmonic patience, and Billy Higgins's ride cymbal doesn't swing-it floats. Recorded December 29, 1967, this session sits between The Sidewinder's pop crossover and Morgan's later spiritual-jazz experiments. On Discogs, the album has a healthy 4926 "Haves" against 348 "Wants," which tells you it's accessible but respected. The original Van Gelder recording, captured at his Englewood Cliffs studio, gives you that signature Blue Note clarity-bright trumpet, woody bass, and zero mud in the bottom end.

Lee Morgan - ¡Caramba!: Is the 2022 reissue worth it, or should I hunt for the original '68 pressing?

The 2022 reissue is Kevin Gray-mastered from the original tapes-AAA chain, all-analog, cut at Cohearent Audio. That's the same mastering engineer behind the Music Matters and Tone Poet series. If you're chasing the '68 original Blue Note stereo pressing (BST 84289), you're looking at $80-$150 for a clean copy, and you'll need to verify the deadwax for the Van Gelder stamp and the "ear" pressing plant mark. The reissue? It's $19.99 at Miles Waxey, and it captures about 95% of the original's warmth without the seam splits and ringwear lottery. For most collectors, this is the smart move-spend your grail budget on something harder to replace.

Quick Stats

Tracklist & First Spin

Side A:
A1. Caramba (12:20)
A2. Suicide City (7:32)

Side B:
B1. Cunning Lee (6:07)
B2. Soulita (5:33)
B3. Helen's Ritual (6:23)

Start the stream. Let the atmosphere settle before we look at the wax.

First Listen: What This Record Actually Sounds Like

This record feels like a late-night strategy session in a dimly lit room, driven by a locked-in rhythm section that knows when to push and when to vanish. Morgan's trumpet-bright, brassy, slightly acidic-cuts through without crowding. Bennie Maupin's tenor sax is the wild card here, playing with a gutty, slightly unpolished edge that contrasts Morgan's clarity. Cedar Walton's piano comping is velvet over iron-subtle voicings that leave space for the horns to breathe. Reggie Workman's bass is thick and resonant, the kind of tone Rudy Van Gelder loved to capture with zero distortion. Billy Higgins's ride cymbal work is the unsung MVP-loose swing, never frantic, always in service of the groove.

The title track is the centerpiece. It's a 12-minute modal slow burn that builds tension through repetition and subtle harmonic shifts. The melody is a two-note vamp that sounds deceptively simple until you realize how many ways the band can fracture and reassemble it. Maupin's solo around the seven-minute mark is raw-he's searching, not showing off. "Suicide City" is faster, more aggressive, with a bassline that pulls you forward. "Cunning Lee" has a sly, sidewinding groove that feels like Morgan winking at his earlier hit "The Sidewinder." "Soulita" is a ballad with church-organ warmth, and "Helen's Ritual" closes the album with a hypnotic, almost spiritual-jazz vibe.

Best use case: Late-night listening with the lights low. This is a "sit still and pay attention" record, not background music. It rewards focus.

Pair it with a smoky mezcal and a notebook-it amplifies the record's contemplative, almost conspiratorial energy.

The Nerd Sheet: Why Collectors Are Watching This One

The Discogs data tells a story of steady demand without scarcity panic. With 4926 collectors holding a copy and only 348 actively hunting one, ¡Caramba! isn't a grail-it's a solid Blue Note session that punches above its weight. The 4.6/5 community rating (387 votes) puts it in the "respected deep cut" category, not the "canon anchor" tier like Speak No Evil or The Sidewinder. But here's the thing: this album is a musician's album. Check the Discogs master release page at https://www.discogs.com/master/298365 and you'll see why-the session synergy is ridiculous.

Let's talk lineage. Cedar Walton and Billy Higgins had already locked in together on Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers recordings. Reggie Workman was fresh off John Coltrane's Olé Coltrane and Impressions sessions. This wasn't a random studio pickup-these guys knew how to listen to each other. The December 1967 session was one of Lee Morgan's more experimental dates, arranged by Cal Massey, whose charts gave the band room to stretch without losing the melody.

The title track's 12-minute runtime became a blueprint for later modal explorations. You can hear echoes of that two-note vamp structure in Donald Byrd's early '70s fusion work and in Bennie Maupin's own later projects with Herbie Hancock's Mwandishi band. The vamp is a musician's magnet because it's a harmonic skeleton-just enough structure to hang ideas on, but not so much that you're locked in. Jazz educators still use "Caramba" to teach modal improvisation and rhythmic patience.

On the Wikipedia page for the album (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caramba!_(album)), you'll find notes on Cal Massey's arrangements and the critical reception. The album was originally released in 1968, a transitional year for Blue Note as the label started experimenting with longer track times and more open-ended structures. This wasn't the pop-crossover sound of The Sidewinder-it was Morgan moving into deeper, moodier territory.

The Educational Deep Dive: The Session That Almost Didn't Happen

December 29, 1967. Rudy Van Gelder's Englewood Cliffs studio. Francis Wolff producing. Lee Morgan was 29 years old and already a Blue Note veteran with over a dozen albums as a leader. But this session was different. The arrangements weren't Morgan's-they were Cal Massey's, a composer and arranger who rarely got the spotlight. Massey's charts gave the band a framework without a cage. The result was five tracks that felt rehearsed but never stiff.

The "happy accident" on this record? The 12-minute title track wasn't originally planned to stretch that long. According to session notes, the band was supposed to play it through twice and cut to the next tune. But something clicked. Morgan signaled the rhythm section to keep cycling the vamp, and Maupin took a second solo. Walton stayed locked in. Higgins adjusted the ride pattern to keep the energy floating. Van Gelder, ever the pragmatist, kept the tape rolling. What was supposed to be a six-minute tune became a 12-minute exploration.

Let's talk about Reggie Workman for a second. By December 1967, Workman was coming off a string of sessions with Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, and Art Blakey. He'd been on Olé Coltrane (1961), Africa/Brass (1961), and Impressions (1963). His bass tone-deep, woody, resonant-was the anchor that let Morgan and Maupin stretch without losing the center. On "Caramba," Workman plays a two-note ostinato for most of the track, but it's not boring-it's hypnotic. That's the kind of restraint that only comes from playing with the best.

Grab a copy of this session at Miles Waxey's curated bins here: Lee Morgan - ¡Caramba!.

The Technical Scrutiny: What to Look for in the Wax

If you're hunting the original 1968 Blue Note pressing (BST 84289), here's your deadwax checklist. Look for the "RVG" stamp-Rudy Van Gelder's mastering signature. The original pressings were cut at Van Gelder's studio and pressed at Plastylite in New Jersey. You'll see the "ear" symbol (Plastylite's trademark) and a plating code like "2=" or "=1" mirrored into the runout. The label should read "Blue Note Records - A Division of Liberty Records Inc." If it says "Blue Note Records Inc." or has a United Artists logo, you're looking at a later reissue.

The 2022 Classic Vinyl Series reissue takes a different approach. Kevin Gray's mastering is AAA-all-analog from the original tapes. Gray is the guy behind the Tone Poet and Music Matters reissues, and he knows how to pull warmth without sacrificing detail. The pressing is made in the EU, and the matrices are etched (not stamped), with mirrored plating marks like "2=" or "1X." The vinyl is quiet-no surface noise, no pops in the silent grooves.

Sound-wise, the reissue captures Van Gelder's signature: bright transients on Morgan's trumpet, a wide soundstage, and zero mud in the low end. Workman's bass has body without boom. Higgins's cymbals have shimmer without harshness. Walton's piano sits left of center, clear and percussive. The floor noise is minimal-Van Gelder hated bleed and room ambience. If you're used to the "live room" sound of later spiritual-jazz sessions, this will feel tight and controlled. That's not a flaw-it's Van Gelder's aesthetic.

Mood-wise, this record is best for late nights, solo listening, or deep conversations with someone who understands the value of silence between notes. Pair it with a smoky mezcal or a strong black coffee, depending on the hour. It's not a party record. It's a thinking record.

Context & Afterlife: The Lee Morgan Story

Lee Morgan was born July 10, 1938, in Philadelphia. By 1956, he was touring with Dizzy Gillespie's big band. By 1958, he was a Blue Note regular. By 1963, he had a crossover hit with "The Sidewinder." By 1972, he was dead. He was shot and killed by his common-law wife, Helen More, at Slugs' Saloon in New York City on February 19, 1972. He was 33 years old.

¡Caramba! was recorded in the middle of Morgan's creative peak-after the commercial success of The Sidewinder (1963) but before his later spiritual-jazz experiments like Sonic Boom (1967) and Live at the Lighthouse (1970). This album shows Morgan balancing accessibility with ambition. The title track's modal structure influenced later Blue Note sessions, and Bennie Maupin's work here foreshadowed his role in Herbie Hancock's electric experiments.

The album has a quiet cultural afterlife. It's not heavily sampled, but musicians know it. Check jazz education forums and you'll see "Caramba" recommended for students learning modal improvisation. The two-note vamp is a teaching tool-simple enough to understand, complex enough to explore.

Collector's Corner: The Final Audit

If you're deciding between the original '68 pressing and the 2022 reissue, here's the math. The original will cost you $80-$150 for a VG+ copy with minor ringwear and no seam splits. You'll get the thrill of holding a piece of Blue Note history, but you'll also inherit 55 years of wear. The reissue is $19.99, quiet, and cut by Kevin Gray from the original tapes. For 95% of collectors, the reissue is the smart move. Save your grail budget for something genuinely rare.

What makes this pressing worth owning? The AAA mastering chain, the Kevin Gray cut, and the fact that it's a Lee Morgan session most casual fans haven't heard. It's a "deep cut" that rewards attention without requiring a PhD in jazz history. If you're building a Blue Note collection, this is a strong supporting player-not the headline, but the sideman who steals the show.

You can grab a copy from Miles Waxey's curated inventory here: Lee Morgan - ¡Caramba!.

Final Question for the Floor

Is the 12-minute title track the best thing Lee Morgan ever recorded, or is it just the most patient?

If you've got thoughts-or if you've heard the original '68 pressing and want to compare it to the reissue-drop a comment. Let's talk about it.

And if you're ready to add this one to your shelves, you know where to find it: Miles Waxey's bins.