Personnel: Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone); Lee Morgan (trumpet); Curtis Fuller (trombone); McCoy Tyner (piano); Bob Cranshaw (bass); Billy Higgins (drums).
Producer: Alfred Lion.
Reissue producer: Michael Cuscuna.
Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.
Like many of Hank Mobley's mid-'60s Blue Note dates, A CADDY FOR DADDY features Lee Morgan, Billy Higgins, and an attempt to recapture the funky backbeat of Morgan's hit "The Sidewinder." What's different here is that Mobley leads a quintet with the addition of the fabulous Curtis Fuller on trombone, Coltrane's pianist McCoy Tyner, and veteran bassist Bob Cranshaw rounding out the group. The vibe is bluesy and swinging, like most Mobley dates, with plenty of choice hard-bop moments from the assembled crew.
The "Sidewinder" of this disc is the title track, which once again finds Higgins easing into a quasi-Latin funk under a gutbucket melody by the horns. Beyond this opening resides the meat of the session. The dark, bouncing waltz "The Morning After" is a curiously flighty groove with crisp ensemble work by the horns and tasty solos all around. The comically titled swinger "Venus Di Mildew" follows and continues the laid-back groove that permeates the session. The most driving cut is the punchy "Ace Deuce Trey," an intricate piece that offers some of Mobley's best soloing of the date. Finally, the bopping "3rd Time Around," an uptempo burner, closes the set with a frenzy.
