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Soul Station

Soul Station

  • Artist: Hank Mobley
  • Total time: 37:07
  • Availability: In stock
  • Item #: 5186007
  • Your Price: $17.98
Currently available in US only.

Review

Often overlooked, perhaps because he wasn't a great innovator in jazz but merely a stellar performer, tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley was at the peak of his powers on Soul Station. Recorded with a superstar quartet including Art Blakey on drums, Paul Chambers on bass, and Wynton Kelly on piano, it was the first album since Mobley's 1955 debut to feature him as a leader without any other accompanying horns. The clean, uncomplicated sound that resulted from that grouping helps make it the best among his albums and a peak moment during a particularly strong period in his career. Mobley has no problem running the show here, and he does it without being flashy or burying the strong work of his sidemen. The solidness of his technique means that he can handle material that is occasionally rhythmically intricate, while still maintaining the kind of easy roundness and warmth displayed by the best players of the swing era. Two carefully chosen standards, "Remember" and "If I Should Lose You," help to reinforce that impression by casting an eye back to the classic jazz era. They bookend four Mobley originals that, in contrast, reflect the best of small-group composition with their lightness and tight dynamics. Overall, this is a stellar set from one of the more underrated musicians of the bop era. ~ Stacia Proefrock, All Music Guide

Track Listing

1. Remember 5:38
2. This I Dig of You 6:21
3. Dig Dis 6:05
4. Split Feelin's 4:52
5. Soul Station 9:03
6. If I Should Lose You 5:08

Details of This Recording

  • Label:
  • Credits:
  • Additional Info:
  • Styles:
    • Hard Bop
    • Jazz

Contents

Remastered!

Remember; This I Dig of You; Dig Dis; Split Feelin's; Soul Station; If I Should Lose You.

Hank Mobley, Tenor Sax; Wynton Kelly, Piano; Paul Chambers, Bass; Art Blakey, Drums.

Read About This Recording

Hank Mobley was a very valuable part of the Blue Note roster, leading many sessions for the label in addition to being a reliable sideman. Born in 1930, the tenor-saxophonist had a light sound influenced by Sonny Rollins and to a lesser extent Lester Young though it was muscular enough to fit perfectly into hard bop settings.

Mobley worked with Max Roach (1951-53), Dizzy Gillespie, as an original member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (1954-56) and with Horace Silver (1956-57). Although he had a second stint with Blakey in 1959 and was with Miles Davis during 1961-62, Mobley mostly performed as a leader in the 1960s before personal problems resulted in him fading out of the jazz scene in the early 1970s; he passed away in 1986.

Soul Station is from 1960 and teams him with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Blakey. The quartet performs four of Mobley's originals of which This I Dig of You is best known and occasionally gets covered by others. In addition, the group stretches out on Irving Berlin's Remember and If I Should Lose You. Crowned the middleweight champion of the tenor because his tone was lighter than that of Coleman Hawkins but heavier than Lester Young's, Mobley is heard in prime form.

Ever wonder why Hank Mobley was rated so high by his fellow musicians and hard bop fans of the 1960s? This CD offers plenty of reasons.

-Scott Yanow