The Gigolo is an album by jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan released on the Blue Note label in 1965. It was recorded on June 25 & July 1, 1965 and features performances by Morgan with a quintet featuring Wayne Shorter, Harold Mabern, Bob Cranshaw and Billy Higgins. The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow awarded the album 4½ stars stating "There are no weak selections on this set and the playing by the leader, Wayne Shorter on tenor, pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Billy Higgins is beyond any serious criticism."
There are some who say that this early 1966 masterpiece does Dylan's 'Highway 61' period better than the master himself, said Lenny Kaye of "A Public Execution" in the liner notes to the epochal Nuggets compilation album from 1972. In the small but fiercely contested kingdom of Dylan imitators Texas' Mouse & The Traps stand tallest due to Execution. It was only a medium-sized hit in the United States back in the 1960s but has become renowned the World over in the years since, as one of the best records of its kind. In truth, while Ronnie 'Mouse' Weiss and his gang of Texas buddies would never deny the influence of Dylan's classic folk-rock, A Public Execution - shaped into a Dylan cop more by the studio machinations of producer Robin Hood Brians than anything else - was merely one facet of a band that could cover all the bases.
What would happen if members of Savatage decided to write some Christmas songs? Easy: Trans-Siberian Orchestra. This "supergroup" is the brainchild of Jon Oliva and Paul O'Neill (respectively the leader-keyboardist and the producer of Savatage). They hired Al Pitrelli (Asia, Savatage) to play guitars, Robert Kinkel to help with keyboards, John Middleton (also a member of Savatage) on bass, and Jeff Plate on drums. Lead vocals are shared by six vocalists, while some of the backing vocals are handled by Savatage lead singer Zachary Stevens. Christmas Eve and Other Stories is a concept album: all the songs are built as chapters of a book, each telling part of a larger story. The plot here is of a young angel sent down to Earth to find and bring back to the Lord "the one thing that best represents everything good that has been done in the name of this day."