Tag: Hank Mobley

Title: Hank Mobley – Workout (1962) [APO Remaster 2011]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

This is one of the best-known Hank Mobley recordings, and for good reason. Although none of his four originals (“Workout,” “Uh Huh,” “Smokin’,” “Greasin’ Easy”) caught on, the fine saxophonist is in top form. He jams on the four tunes, plus “The Best Things in Life Are Free,” with an all-star quintet of young modernists — guitarist Grant Green, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones — and shows that he was a much stronger player than his then-current boss Miles Davis seemed to think.

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Title: Hank Mobley – No Room For Squares (1963) [APO Remaster 2010]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Why any critic would think that Hank Mobley was at the end of his creative spark in 1963 – a commonly if stupidly held view among the eggheads who do this for a living – is ridiculous, as this fine session proves. By 1963, Mobley had undergone a transformation of tone. Replacing the scintillating airiness of his late-’50s sides was a harder, more strident, almost honking one, due in part to the influence of John Coltrane and in part to Mobley’s deeper concentration on the expressing blues feeling in his trademark hard bop tunes. The CD version of this album sets the record straight, dropping some tunes form a session months earlier and replacing them with alternate takes of the title cut and “Carolyn” for historical integrity, as well as adding “Syrup and Biscuits” and “Comin’ Back.” Mobley assembled a crack band for this blues-drenched hard-rollicking set made up of material written by either him or trumpeter Lee Morgan. Other members of the ensemble were pianist Andrew Hill, drummer Philly Joe Jones, and bassist John Ore. The title track, which opens the set, is a stand-in metaphor for the rest: Mobley’s strong and knotty off-minor front-line trading fours with Hill that moves into brief but aggressive soloing for he and Morgan and brings the melody back, altered with the changes from Hill. On Morgan’s “Me ‘n’ You,” an aggressive but short bluesed-out vamp backed by a mutated samba beat, comes right out of the Art Blakey book of the blues and is articulated wonderfully by Mobley’s solo, which alternates between short, clipped phrases along the line of the changes and longer trill and ostinatos where the end of a musical line is dictated by his breath rather than a chord change. Morgan is in the pocket of the blue shades, coloring the ends of his lines with trills and short staccato bursts, warping them in Hill’s open, chromatic voicings. All eight cuts here move with similar fluidity and offer a very gritty and realist approach to the roots of hard bop. Highly recommended.

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Title: Hank Mobley – Mobley’s Message (1956) [Analogue Productions Remaster 2012]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Saxophonist Hank Mobley’s 1956 date for Prestige, Mobley’s Message, is an often overlooked gem of the era. Joining Mobley here is an all-star cast of musicians including trumpeter Donald Byrd, alto saxophonist Jackie McLean, pianist Barry Harris, bassist Doug Watkins, and drummer Art Taylor. Essentially a high-energy blowing session, the album features some stellar bop-oriented improvisation and is well worth seeking out.

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Title: Hank Mobley – Mobley’s 2nd Message (1956) [APO Remaster 2012]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Hank Mobley’s 2nd Message was recorded on July 27, 1956, just 1 week after its predecessor, Mobley’s Message. This 6 track quintet set features 3 Mobley originals alongside 3 standards & 1st rate accompaniment from trumpeter Kenny Dorham, pianist Walter Bishop, Doug Watkins on bass & Art Taylor on percussion. Analogue Productions’s superb SACD remastering is housed in a miniature recreation of the original LP packaging.

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Title: Hank Mobley – Dippin’ (1966) [Analogue Productions 2011]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Dippin’ is one of Hank Mobley’s finer moments, even considering that his entire Blue Note catalog is masterful, particularly his 1960s dates that reveal the depth and dimension of his understanding of harmonic invention — all in the name of groove and swing, of course. This date, recorded on a single day in June of 1965, netted four Mobley originals as well as two covers. The band included trumpeter Lee Morgan, pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Larry Ridley, and drummer Billy Higgins. The two-horn front line always served Mobley well. Here, with Morgan, the groove commences from the first notes of the title cut that opens the set. The short bluesy lines burst from the horns, and are turned inside out with elegant yet knotty lines that move the tune almost into pop territory but never venture far from the blues. The sprightly “Recado Bossa Nova,” written by Djalma Ferreira, moves the band outside its comfort zone rhythmically, but Mobley’s horn chart is brilliant. Higgins and Ridley keep the bossa groove natural and steaming as the soloists begin taking the tune apart and putting it back together. There is one ballad on the set, “I See Your Face Before Me” composed by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz. On it, Mobley does his best Ben Webster, blowing low and smoky and sweet, but the truth is that it doesn’t belong on a program with so many hard bop swingers. The rest of the session is a pure joy and a fine document of Mobley’s abilities as a bandleader and composer.

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Title: Hank Mobley – A Caddy For Daddy (2009)
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO

Analogue Productions’ Blue Note & Nat “King” Cole Reissues WIN A Positive Feedback 2010 Brutus Award! “…if you haven’t picked up every 1 of the Blue Note & Nat King Cole reissues from Chad Kassem & company at Acoustic Sounds, you’re really missing out!” – David W. Robinson, Positive Feedback, Issue 52 Hank Mobley was a perfect artist for Blue Note in the 1960s. On this LP, which is a straight reissue of the 1965 session, Mobley is joined by trumpeter Lee Morgan, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Bob Cranshaw & drummer Billy Higgins (a typically remarkable Blue Note lineup) for the infectious title cut, 3 other lesser-known but superior originals, plus Wayne Shorter’s “Venus Di Mildew.” AllMusic: Hank Mobley was a perfect artist for Blue Note in the 1960s. A distinctive but not dominant soloist, Mobley was also a very talented writer whose compositions avoided the predictable yet could often be quite melodic & soulful; his tricky originals consistently inspired the young all-stars in Blue Note’s stable.

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