Hank Mobley – A Caddy For Daddy (2009)
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 39:45 minutes | 1,64 GB
Genre: Jazz | Publisher (label): Analogue Productions – CBNJ 84230 SA
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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.
Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, John Coltrane, Zoot Sims – Tenor Conclave (1956) [APO Remaster 2014]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 43:57 minutes | Scans included | 1,77 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 806 MB
These four sides should not be hard to locate, as the primary participants in this November 30, 1956, session have all issued them within their individual catalogs. However Tenor Conclave was first released as credited to the “leaderless” Prestige All-Stars — consisting of tenor saxophonists John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, and Zoot Sims. Providing support are pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Taylor. The Mobley-penned title track commences the effort with the quartet of tenors showing off their stuff in high-flying style. It takes a couple of passes and somewhat of a trained ear to be able to link the players with their contributions, but as is often the case, the whole tends to be greater than the sum of the parts. After a brief introduction with all four rapidly reeling off short riffs, Mobley charges ahead into truly inspired territory. The midtempo take of “Just You, Just Me” keeps things lively with a light swinging pace that is custom-made for bringing the combo’s jocular side to the surface, particularly toward the end as they “trade fours,” with each tenor blowing four bars before passing the melody on. The other Mobley composition is “Bob’s Boys,” and by all accounts it is the most compelling piece on the outing. The blues-based tune rollicks as Coltrane, Mobley, Cohn, and Sims find themselves configured in a seeming myriad of sonic face-offs. Wrapping up Tenor Conclave is an ultra-cool and sophisticated “How Deep Is the Ocean?” Cohn commences the long and luscious reading with a subtle strength, suggesting the powerful undercurrent flowing throughout the number. Also, listeners are treated to what is possibly Garland’s finest interaction, leading right into Sims, Chambers, and finally a sublime Coltrane caboose.
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Hank Mobley – Workout (1961/2011)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz | Time – 46:33 minutes | 1,84 GB | Genre: Jazz
Source: ISO SACD | © Blue Note Records
During his stint with Miles Davis, Mobley’s four Blue Note sessions with bandmates Wynton Kelly and Paul Chambers are considered his finest and most lyrical work. Grant Green and Philly Joe Jones complete the group on this gem.
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. –Scott Yanow
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Hank Mobley – No Room For Squares (1963/2010)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz | Time – 55:39 minutes | 2,20 GB | Genre: Jazz
Source: ISO SACD | © Blue Note Records
One of Mobley’s best, this album features two 1963 all-star quintets: one with Lee Morgan and Andrew Hill, the other with Donald Byrd and Herbie Hancock. Philly Joe Jones is the driving force throughout.
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Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, John Coltrane, Zoot Sims – Tenor Conclave (1957/2014)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz | Time – 43:57 minutes | 1,73 GB | Genre: Jazz
Source: ISO SACD | © Prestige Records
This unusual meeting of four tenor saxophone players from different “schools” was part of the Prestige Friday afternoon jam session series but far from a typical outing. The giant forebears of Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and Charlie Parker inform the backgrounds of the performers on this LP — Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, and John Coltrane — and other influences such as Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, and the Sonnys (Stitt and Rollins) show up, too, depending on which of the four protagonists you’re talking about.
With the Red Garland Trio supplying the underpinning, the four tenors meet on the common ground of the blues (“Bob’s Boys”), “I Got Rhythm” (“Tenor Conclave”), and two old standards. (The originals are by Mobley.) Rather than the stylistic differences, what stands out here is the compatibility and spirit of the four meeting on this common ground in an uncommon session.
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Hank Mobley – Workout (1962) [APO Remaster 2011]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 46:23 minutes | Scans included | 1,88 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 904 MB
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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Hank Mobley – No Room For Squares (1963) [APO Remaster 2010]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 55:11 minutes | Scans included | 2,25 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,05 GB
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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Hank Mobley – Mobley’s Message (1956) [Analogue Productions Remaster 2012]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 Stereo > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 41:57 minutes | Scans included | 1,77 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 891 MB
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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Hank Mobley – Mobley’s 2nd Message (1956) [APO Remaster 2012]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 41:11 minutes | Scans NOT included | 1,66 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans NOT included | 752 MB
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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Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan – Peckin’ Time (1958) [APO Remaster 2011]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 62:12 minutes | Scans included | 2,51 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,22 GB
Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley was overshadowed by more influential tenors such as Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane during his career, but although he wasn’t deliberately flashy or particularly innovative, his concisely measured, round sax tone made him the perfect ensemble player and he was a fine writer, as well, a talent who has often been undervalued and overlooked. The Peckin’ Time session was recorded February 9, 1958 (the LP was issued a year later) and came in the midst of what was a period of whirlwind creativity for Mobley, who recorded work for the Savoy and Prestige imprints as well as six full albums for Blue Note (two were never released — it was not that uncommon for Blue Note to stockpile sessions at the time) in a little more than a year’s time (later Blue Note albums like Soul Station and Roll Call were still well in the future). For this session, Mobley found himself working with a young Lee Morgan on trumpet and in front of a fluid rhythm section that included pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Charlie Persip, and it’s solid stuff, bright and always energetic. All but one of the tracks, a rendering of Kurt Weill’s “Speak Low,” were written by Mobley, and again, his hidden strength was always his writing, and it should probably come as no surprise that the best two tracks here, the title tune “Peckin’ Time” and the wonderful “Stretchin’ Out,” were both penned by Mobley. It all adds up to a fine program, and if Mobley didn’t push the envelope a whole lot, his lyrical and economical playing was always appropriate and graceful, and that’s certainly the case here.
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Hank Mobley – Dippin’ (1966) [Analogue Productions 2011]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 42:48 minutes | Scans included | 1,77 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 934 MB
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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Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, John Coltrane, Zoot Sims – Tenor Conclave (1956/2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 43:51 minutes | 1,02 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Prestige
Recorded in 1956, “Tenor Conclave” lives up to its name, bringing together the mighty tenor saxes of John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Al Cohn and Zoot Sims. All four play on all four tunes, backed by an equally impressive rhythm section of pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor. This album would be re-released under Coltrane’s name in 1962.
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Hank Mobley – Soul Station (1960/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 37:19 minutes | 1,53 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records
The album is accompanied by its original sleeve notes plus additional photos and newly-written package essays.
“In preparing these hi def remasters, we were very conscientious about maintaining the feel of the original releases while adding a previously unattainable transparency and depth. It now sounds like you’ve set up your chaise lounge right in the middle of Rudy Van Gelder’s studio!” –Blue Note President, Don Was.
Soul Station is Hank Mobley’s timeless masterpiece. Mobley was one of Blue Note’s definitive hard-bop artists and one of music’s leading tenor saxophonists. This 1960 set features the stellar quartet comprised of Mobley, Art Blakey, Wynton Kelly and Paul Chambers. The musicians are at the height of their powers, delivering sheer perfection. This flawless outing features the classic tunes: “This I Dig of You,” “Split Feelin’s,” “Remember” and “If I Should Lose You.” This is an absolutely essential album for any music lover’s collection.
Reviews
4 stars – “…a real cooking session…moving, impassioned, and lyrical.” – Down Beat
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Hank Mobley – No Room For Squares (1963/2013)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 42:20 minutes | 1,68 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records
Originally released as Blue Note BLP 4149 (mono) and BST 84149 (stereo)
“In preparing these hi def remasters, we were very conscientious about maintaining the feel of the original releases while adding a previously unattainable transparency and depth. It now sounds like you’ve set up your chaise lounge right in the middle of Rudy Van Gelder’s studio!” – Blue Note President, Don Was.
No Room For Squares is comprised of two unforgettable 1963 sessions by Hank Mobley. The star-studded performances feature Lee Morgan, Donald Byrd, Andrew Hill, Herbie Hancock, John Ore, Butch Warren and Philly Joe Jones. Standouts include “Me ‘N You,” “Carolyn” and the title-track. This is gritty hard-bop at its finest. Essential.
Reviews
Four stars out of five – …Crucial listening¦ Three Way Split remains a career highlight. – Q
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Hank Mobley – Hank Mobley (1957/2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 34:42 minutes | 769 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Blue Note Records
Hank Mobley is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley released on the Blue Note label in 1957 as BLP 1568. It was recorded on June 23, 1957 and features Mobley, Bill Hardman, Curtis Porter, Sonny Clark, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor.
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