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Lee Morgan bootlegs on Trip


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Is anyone knowledgeable about the label "Trip".

I came across two Lee Morgan LPs on Trip at a used vinyl store yesterday. I have one of them already (released on Phoenix10).

The recording quality on these sides is simply awful. They sound as if someone used a portable recorded held on their lap! The mastering is non-existing, and the balance is ridiculous.

On the plus side, the fire and energy of these performances is off the charts, and I wouldn't be without them in my collection.

The two I have:

"Lee Morgan - Speedball" (Trip TLP 5020) also on Phoenix10 (PHX 316)

songs: "Willow Weep for Me" - 20:27

"Peyote" - 13:10

"Speedball" - 6:17

"Lee Morgan - One of a Kind" (Trip 5029)

songs: "Meo Felia" - 17:17)

"C.P." (actually "Ceora") - 16:20

"Speedball" - 1:53

(From the dialogue on these releases, I concluded that Speedball was used as Lee's break tune during this period)

Questions:

1) Can anyone confirm the personnel on these dates? They sound as if they are from the same recording. I always had assumed the tenor player from this period to be Bennie Maupin, but TLP 5029 has Billy Harper listed as the tenor player.

There is no listing of personnel for TLP 5020, but the Phoenix release has it as follows:

Lee Morgan w/

Bennie Maupin - tenor sax

Harold Mabern - piano

Jymie Merritt - bass

Mickey Roker - drums

2) Was "Meo Felia" ever commercially released? (At least that is the name of the composition as listed on the LP). I have often wondered how many tunes that this group played were never documented due to Lee's death. This was a special band.

3) Were other releases on Trip better quality? Were they all bootleg?

Edited by slide_advantage_redoux
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Those bootlegs have been discussed a number of times. The Freshsounds 2CD set says 'Lee Morgan Quintet at Lighthouse'. However this was recorded at the Both/End club in San Francisco a few days before the legitimate dates at the Hermosa Beach Lighthouse club that BN released. With the same quintet (Maupin, Mabern, Merritt, Roker). Sound on the FreshSounds set is OK. But the real thing is on the BN 3CD set. That one is a hell of an album!

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I think there were three trip LPs in all. All this material - and perhaps more - is on the Fresh Sound Lighthouse 2-CD set. The sound is so-so but the music cooks.

The personnel is Morgan/Maupin/Mabern/Merritt/Roker.

The jury is still out as to whether this is material from the Both/And or material from the same Lighthouse gig as the Blue Note set, but earlier in the week. The BN set seemed to imply it was Both/And.

I don't know about the tune called 'Meo Felia' on the Trip LPs, but the tune with that title on the Fresh Sound set is actually a Mabern tune called 'The Chief'. This was first recorded by Lee on 9/13/68, but is one of three tunes from that date that are rejected. Mabern also brought it to Frank Strozier's 'What's Goin' On' session. That's how I figured out that 'Meo Felia' was really 'The Chief'. Mabern later confirmed that this was the same tune recorded 9/13/68.

Lee Morgan copyrighted quite a few compositions that were never recorded. I have yet to find any evidence of any of them being part of the live repertoire. Neither Mabern nor Maupin remembered any of the titles I ran by them, but that doesn't mean anything - it's been 35 years.

Bertrand.

Edited by bertrand
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  • 7 years later...

ok i just got the Phoenix10 "out there" version------

right now on willow weep.....THE.SOUND.QUALITY. IS. *********AMAZING************. this sounds like its "in the room" with me. the dynamic range isnt as great as say, an early 80s w. german cd pressing, but omg what it lacks in dr it compeletly makes up for and more in presense. if youve never heard this lp youve never heard lee morgan live!!!!!!!!!!this lp obvously must sound exactly like whatever mastertape (and with Phoneix or Trip, i mean that very loosely) it was made from

Edited by chewy
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  • 7 months later...

hi leeway: ONE Of A KIND.

how is the sound qual on them. i have the phoenix issue which is absolouetly stunning SQ, thought maybe these would since its the same session material, although i do expect the vinyl manufacting to be lesser q. cause its Trip, after all......you have all three? how did u ever find them?

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Hi chewy, the sound strikes me as pretty good. I mean, it's not RVG quality, but the instruments come through nice and clean with sufficient volume and clarity. It's a good set, with the band and audience both into it.

I found the Trips just from traveling around and checking out record stores. I bought these several years ago, at least, and they seemed rather common at the time (don't know if they still are). I certainly didn't pay much for them.

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$25 for a Trip LP? Never. They were a lousy company with cheap covers and poor vinyl/pressing quality.

I agree, a rotten company with very bad product. I had a few Trip LPs back in the 1970s and they were awful, full of air bubbles, scratches and other anomalies.

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  • 3 years later...

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