Thetitle track is perhaps Morgan's best-known composition; it would go on to become a jazz standard,[6] and was additionally released as a single,[7] reaching number 81 on theBillboard Hot 100 in January 1965.[8]
The album became Blue Note's best-selling record ever, breaking the previous sales record and saving the label from near bankruptcy.[9] Record producerMichael Cuscuna recalls the unexpected success: "the company issued only 4,000 copies upon release. Needless to say, they ran out of stock in three or four days. And 'The Sidewinder' became a runaway smash making the pop 100 charts." By January 1965, the album had reached No. 25 on theBillboard chart.[10] The title track was used as the music in aChrysler television advertisement and as a theme for television shows.[11][12]
At the insistence of Blue Note executives, several of Morgan's intended follow-up albums either had their release postponed or were shelved entirely so that Blue Note could score "another 'Sidewinder'."[13] Morgan's subsequent albums would therefore attempt to approximate the format and appeal ofThe Sidewinder by opening with asoul-jazzboogaloo inspired composition while also attempting to capture ahard bop aesthetic.[14] This approach is said to be most noticeable on Morgan's immediate follow-up albums, includingThe Rumproller,[15]The Gigolo[16] andCornbread.[17]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz selected this album as part of its suggested "Core Collection" (with a crown), calling the title track "a glorious 24-bar theme as sinuous and stinging as the beast of the title. It was both the best and worst thing that was ever to happen to Morgan before the awful events of 19 February 1972," referring to Morgan's killing at the hand of his common-law wife, Helen Moore.[18]The album was identified byScott Yanow in hisAllMusic essay "Hard Bop" as one of the 17 Essential Hard Bop Recordings.[19]
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