Lee Morgan once again became part of the Jazz Messengers after replacing
Freddie Hubbard, who left after replacing
Morgan originally. The band is rounded out by pianist
Cedar Walton, a steaming
Wayne Shorter on tenor,
Curtis Fuller on trombone, and bassist
Reggie Workman with
Art Blakey on the skins, of course.
Indestructible is a hard-blowing blues 'n' bop date with
Shorter taking his own solos to the outside a bit, and with
Blakey allowing some of
Fuller's longer, suite-like modal compositional work into the mix as well ("The Egyptian" and "Sortie"). There are plenty of hard swinging grooves-- an off-Latin funk à la
Morgan's "Calling Miss Kadija,"
Shorter's killer "Mr. Jin," and
Walton's ballad-cum-post-bop sprint "When Love Is New" -- and the
Blakey drive is in full effect, making this album comes closest in feel to the Moanin' sessions with
Bobby Timmons. Here the balance of soul groove and innovative tough bop are about equal.
Morgan lends great intensity to this date by being such a perfect foil for
Shorter, and their trading of fours and eights in "Sortie" is one of the disc's many high points.
Morgan's bluesed-out modal frame is already in evidence here as he was beginning to stretch beyond the parameters of the 12-bar frame and into music from other spaces and times. ~ Thom Jurek