Hank MOBLEY - Third Season 1967 (REPOST)

Hank MOBLEY - Third Season 1967 (REPOST)

Jazz

There's no one, I'll say it again: no one, period--who improvises more creatively than Hank Mobley, 1954-1963. Anything from this period gets played every day in my collection: it's music of inexhaustible lyricism and unforced beauty--more palatable than a constant diet of any other saxophonist I can think of. Beginning as early as 1964 Hank begins to buckle--to the pressures from Blue Note for not selling records, to the pressures of peers, who were either running funk-wild over boogaloo beats or churning out the same Dorian mode tunes over and over again. Neither approach treated Hank kindly, who couldn't "sell out" even when he tried to. Sound was his medium, his instrument, his voice--not his gimmick.

This session has more of the old Mobley than I would have expected and, moreover, is not mired in soul cliches or faux modal freedom. But the proceedings get dull in a hurry, as though a listless Mobley senses it's about over, short of a last few, mostly unfortunate, attempts to gain the ears of listeners in the late sixties and beyond. Pick it up only if you're determined to fill in all of the chapters of the rise and fall of a natural-born singer on the instrument, perhaps the most inventive yet purest aesthete the blues has ever known.
By  Samuel Chell.
**
Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded frequently for Blue Note in the 1960s (six albums from 1967-1970) and, although overshadowed by the flashier and more avant-garde players, Mobley's output was consistently rewarding. For this overlooked session, which was not issued until 1980 and then finally reissued on CD in 1988, a regular contingent of top Blue Note artists (Mobley, trumpeter Lee Morgan, altoist James Spaulding, pianist Cedar Walton, bassist Walter Booker, and drummer Billy Higgins) are joined by a wild card, guitarist Sonny Greenwich. The music is mostly in the hard bop vein, with hints of modality and the gospel-ish piece "Give Me That Feelin'," but Greenwich's three solos are a bonus and the performances of five Mobley originals and one by Morgan are up to the usual caliber of Blue Note's releases. Pity that this one has been lost in the shuffle.
by Scott Yanow.
**
Lee Morgan- (Trumpet)
James Spaulding- (Alto Sax, Flute)
Hank Mobley- (Tenor Sax)
Cedar Walton- (Piano)
Sonny Greenwich- (Guitar)
Walter Booker- (Bass)
Billy Higgins- (Drums)
**
01. An Aperitif (6:52)
02. Don’t Cry, Just Sigh (6:51)
03. The Steppin’ Stone (5:36)
04. Third Season (6:44)
05. Boss Bossa (5:11)
06. Give Me That Feelin’ (6:33)
**
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Hank MOBLEY - Dippin' 1965

Hank MOBLEY - Dippin' 1965

Jazz

If anyone is still wondering what it means to "swing", crank up your best speakers, put on "Recado Bossa Nova", and listen to what Mobley and Co. do to revive this 1960's chestnut. These five supremely gifted guys get under the bn beat, swing it, and drive it up somewhere into the stratosphere. Also of note: Mobley's own compositions, which as usual are fresh and exciting; the beautiful sound of Mobley and Morgan on "I See Your Face Before Me"; and last but not least, the knock-your-socks off technique of Harold Mabern Jr. on keyboard, who deserves a lot of credit for giving this CD its pizazz. If you dig tenor sax, or 60's jazz, or just great ensemble playing -- this album is a must!
By  B. Sloane.
**
This is one CD many fans seem to not be aware of, it's a shame. All the tracks on the disc have a good modern sound, The Vamp and The Breakthrough are especially nice. The tunes by Mobley are characteristic, he puts little twists and turns in his compositions that keep you on your toes as a listener. The musicians are in top form, Mobley and Lee Morgan cook as expected. The real treat for me on the disc is Billy Higgins, who provides an inspiring pulse for the music. Recommended for anybody with a taste for good music.
By  Dr. Red Stanford.
**
Hank Mobley- Tenor Sax
Lee Morgan- Trumpet
Billy Higgins- Drums
Harold Mabern, Jr.- Piano
Larry Ridley- Bass
**
01.The Dip - 7:54
02.Recado Bossa Nova (Antonio, Ferreira) - 8:09
03.The Break Through - 5:49
04.The Vamp - 8:19
05.I See Your Face Before Me (Schwartz, Dietz) - 5:27
06.Ballin' - 6:51
**
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Hank MOBLEY And His All-Stars 1957 (REPOST)

Hank MOBLEY And His All-Stars 1957 (REPOST)
Label: Blue Note
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio,
Hackensack, New Jersey on January 13, 1957
Audio CD (November 26, 1999)

Jazz

This review is from: Hank Mobley and His All Stars (Audio CD)
There's no way you can go wrong with anything Mobley recorded, whether his own date or another leader's, between 1954 and 1963, especially if you agree with me that his melodic vocabulary is inexhaustible and that his sound is rich, complex, and inimitable, not requiring any "spiking" on the engineer's part or forced blowing on Hank's. I can think of at least ten Mobley dates I'd put ahead of this 1957 session, which is nevertheless a noteworthy document of Mobley's development as a composer and soloist as well as a cooking session with four other peerless musicians: Milt Jackson, Horace Silver, Doug Watkins, and Art Blakey.

The most interesting tunes are the last two (tracks 4 and 5)--the first ("Lower Stratosphere") an extended blues, and the second ("Mobley's Musings") a soulful ballad.

Partly because of all vibraharpists' preference at this time for rapidly-spinning rotators and because of Van Gelder's customary one-dimensional balancing of the instruments, the sound of Bags' vibes in conjunction with Mobley's horn is not as warm and inviting as one might expect (Milt sounds much better with Coltrane on the Atlantic recording made shortly after this session).
By  Samuel Chell.
**
Hank Mobley- (Tenor Saxophone);
Milt Jackson- (Vibraphone);
Horace Silver- (Piano);
Doug Watkins- (Bass);
Art Blakey- (Drums)
**
01. Reunion
02. Ultra Marine
03. Don't Walk
04. Lower Stratosphere
05. Mobley's Musings
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