****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
By way of bias reference Lee Morgan and Clifford Jordan are two of my favorite musicians. I have virtually all of Lee Morgan's releases and consider Take Twelve and LeeWay his two best. LeeWay is an all-star cast (Blakey on drums,Jackie McLean on alto, Timmons piano) and features some great Cal Massey compositions. Leeway is special because of its purity. The greatest musicians in the world deep in their groove taking us on a magical mystery tour without embellishments. Take Twelve is essentially the same type of groove with a different all star cast. I don't dig needless pyrotechnics and gimmicks. I love to hear genius in the moment of its greatest collective creativity. I love the different time signatures and all the tunes. Unlike other reviewers, they all sound equally great. I believe that this is the best work I have ever heard from the supporting cast of Barry Harris, Bob Cranshaw and Louis Hayes. Hayes' subtle time keeping; Cranshaw's resounding accent bass which constantly underscores where the music is; Barry Harris' tasteful understatement. But the biggest treat is the wonderful interplay between Morgan and Clifford Jordan. Their tones are so complementary when playing harmonic lines. Both develop their solos with the most insightful articulation of the tunes essential core. I love this recording.
