"Hocus-Pocus" is a crafty original composition by Lee Morgan from his 1963 Blue Note album The Sidewinder. Set in a 32-bar AABA form in F at approximately 187 bpm, the tune swings with the hard-driving energy that characterized Morgan's best work. Joe Henderson opens the solo section with two choruses of tenor saxophone, his playing marked by the harmonic adventurousness and rhythmic unpredictability that made him one of the most distinctive voices in 1960s jazz. Morgan follows with two trumpet choruses of characteristic brilliance, his fluid technique and strong melodic sense creating lines that are both virtuosic and deeply musical. Pianist Barry Harris rounds out the solos with two well-constructed choruses that draw on the full vocabulary of bebop piano. The AABA form and medium-up tempo place the performance squarely in the hard bop tradition, and the quality of improvisation from all three soloists is exceptional. Morgan's compositional craft is evident in the tune's catchy melody and well-balanced form, which provides a solid foundation for creative exploration. Within The Sidewinder album, "Hocus-Pocus" represents the straight-ahead jazz core that underlies the album's more commercially oriented moments.
