The Complete Blue Note Hank Mobley Fifties Sessions
Encyclopedia
The Complete Blue Note Hank Mobley Fifties Sessions is six-CD or 10 LP box set released by Mosaic Records
in 1998 compiled of previously issued albums, some of which were previously only issued in Japan.
Hank Mobley
was part of Bebop
's second generation of players. But there was a new inspirational sound
taking hold, with roots in gospel and blues
. By combining the best of bebop with the soulful new thing springing up, Horace Silver
, Art Blakey
, Kenny Dorham
, Hank Mobley and Doug Watkins
fashioned a sound with a percussive, street feel inspired by the hot steam grates and pavement they walked, the propulsive drive of the lives they were leading. The world came to know it as hard bop
, and it codified what came to be called the "Blue Note
sound"
Hank Mobley became a key player in the Blue Note orbit at a point when his particular skills and the emerging format for studio
jazz
recording were in a most complimentary zone. The sidemen reads like a "Who's Who of Hard Bop". The musicians who participated in one or more of Hank's nine `50s sessions include Donald Byrd
, Lee Morgan
, Kenny Dorham, Art Farmer
, Sonny Clark
, Horace Silver, Wynton Kelly
, Paul Chambers
, Philly Joe Jones
and Art Blakey. Of the 9 album
s collected on this 6 CD/10 LP limited edition set, two were only previously issued in Japan.
March 27, 1955
tk 2 Walkin' The Fence (alt tk) (J)CJ28-5128
tk 3 Walkin' The Fence BLP 5066
tk 5 Avila And Tequila -
tk 6 Hank's Prank (alt tk) (J)CJ28-5128
tk 8 Hank's Prank BLP 5066
tk 10 Just Coolin' -
tk 12 My Sin -
tk 14 Love For Sale -
(B) Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan (tp), Hank Mobley (ts), Horace Silver (p), Paul Chambers (b), Charlie Persip (d).
November 25, 1956
tk 2 Double Whammy BLP 1540
tk 3 Barrel Of Funk -
tk 4 Barrel Of Funk (alt tk) previously unissued
tk 6 Mobleymania BLP 1540
tk 7 Touch And Go -
(C) Hank Mobley (ts), Milt Jackson (vbs), Horace Silver (p), Doug Watkins (b), Art
Blakey (d).
January 13, 1957
tk 2 Reunion BLP 1544
tk 3 Lower Stratosphere -
tk 4 Don't Walk -
tk 6 Ultramarine -
tk 7 Mobley's Musings -
note: In the Cuscuna/Ruppli Blue Note discography, a possible alternate take of
Ultramarine (take 5) is listed. But no tape exists for this item.
(D) Hank Mobley (ts), Art Farmer (tp), Horace Silver (p), Doug Watkins (b), Art Blakey
(d).
March 8, 1957
tk 1 Wham And They're Off BLP 1550
tk 4 Wham And They're Off (alt tk) (Du) 1A158-83385/8
tk 5 Funk In Deep Freeze (alt tk)
tk 6 Funk In Deep Freeze BLP 1550
tk 7 Startin' From Scratch -
tk 8 Stella-wise -
tk 9 Base On Balls -
tk 10 Fin De L'Affaire -
note: All titles issued on the CD version of this album (B2-46816)
(E) Donald Byrd (tp), John Jenkins (as), Hank Mobley (ts), Bobby Timmons (p), Wilbur
Ware (b), Philly Joe Jones (d).
April 21, 1957
tk 2 Easy To Love BLP 1560
tk 3 Fit For A Hanker -
tk 4 Hi Groove Low Feedback -
tk 7 Time After Time -
tk 9 Dance Of The Infidels -
(F) Bill Hardman (tp), Curtis Porter (Shafi Hadi) (as, ts), Hank Mobley (ts), Sonny
Clark (piano), Paul Chambers (b), Art Taylor (d).
June 23, 1957
tk 2 Mighty Moe And Joe (alt tk) (Du) 1A158-83391/4
tk 2/3 Mighty Moe And Joe BLP 1568
tk 5 News -
tk 6 Bags' Groove -
tk 8 Double Exposure -
tk 10 Falling In Love With Love -
note: The original mono master of Mighty Moe And Joe was take 2 with the trumpet
and
tenor
solos from take 3. The unedited take 2 was issued in stereo on Box 3 of 40 Years Of
Jazz - The History Of Blue Note. It was also issued on the first stereo CD release of this
album, (J) TOCJ-1568. That CD is also missing the insert ending for Double Exposure.
(G) Kenny Dorham (tp), Hank Mobley (ts), Sonny Clark (p), Jimmy Rowser (b), Art Taylor
(d).
August 18, 1957
tk 5 My Reverie BN (J) 61006
tk 6 Curtain Call -
tk 9 On The Bright Side -
tk 10 The Mobe -
tk 11 Don't Get Too Hip -
tk 12 Deep In A Dream (no tp) -
(H) Art Farmer (tp), Hank Mobley (ts), Pepper Adams
(bari), Sonny Clark (p), Paul Chambers
(b), Philly Joe Jones
(d).
October 20, 1957
tk 3 Gettin' Into Something GXF (J) 3066
tk 4 Tune Up -
tk 6 Poppin' -
tk 8 East Of Brooklyn -
tk 12 Darn That Dream -
(I) Lee Morgan (tp), Hank Mobley (ts), Wynton Kelly (p), Paul Chambers
(b), Charlie Persip
(d).
February 9, 1958
tk 2 High And Flighty (alt tk)
tk 3 High And Flighty BLP 1574
tk 4 Stretchin' Out (alt tk)
tk 5 Stretchin' Out BLP 1574
tk 6 Peckin' Time -
tk 10 Git-Go Blues -
tk 11 Speak Low -
tk 12 Speak Low (alt tk)
all titles issued on the CD version of this album (B2-81574)
Album index:
BLP 5066 The Hank Mobley Quartet
(J)CJ28-5128 CD reissue of above
BLP 1540 Hank Mobley Sextet
BLP 1544 Hank Mobley And His All-Stars
BLP 1550 Hank Mobley Quintet
B2-46816 CD reissue of above
BLP 1560 Hank
BLP 1568 Hank Mobley
(J) BN 61006 Curtain Call
(J) GXF 3066 Poppin'
BLP 1574 Peckin' Time
B2-81574 CD stereo reissue of above
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio
, Hackensack, New Jersey
Mosaic Records
Mosaic Records is an American specialist jazz record label, founded in 1983 by Michael Cuscuna and Charlie Lourie to issue coherent limited edition box sets of jazz recordings by individual musicians, which had fallen out-of-print...
in 1998 compiled of previously issued albums, some of which were previously only issued in Japan.
Description
As one of the founding members of the original cooperative Jazz Messengers, tenor saxophonistTenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
Hank Mobley
Hank Mobley
Henry Mobley was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Stan Getz...
was part of Bebop
Bebop
Bebop differed drastically from the straightforward compositions of the swing era, and was instead characterized by fast tempos, asymmetrical phrasing, intricate melodies, and rhythm sections that expanded on their role as tempo-keepers...
's second generation of players. But there was a new inspirational sound
Sound
Sound is a mechanical wave that is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas, composed of frequencies within the range of hearing and of a level sufficiently strong to be heard, or the sensation stimulated in organs of hearing by such vibrations.-Propagation of...
taking hold, with roots in gospel and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
. By combining the best of bebop with the soulful new thing springing up, Horace Silver
Horace Silver
Horace Silver , born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva in Norwalk, Connecticut, is an American jazz pianist and composer....
, Art Blakey
Art Blakey
Arthur "Art" Blakey , known later as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz drummer and bandleader. He was a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community....
, Kenny Dorham
Kenny Dorham
McKinley Howard Dorham was an American jazz trumpeter, singer, and composer born in Fairfield, Texas. Dorham's talent is frequently lauded by critics and other musicians, but he never received the kind of attention from the jazz establishment that many of his peers did...
, Hank Mobley and Doug Watkins
Doug Watkins
Douglas Watkins was an American hard bop jazz double bassist from Detroit.-Biography:An original member of the Jazz Messengers, he later played in Horace Silver's quintet and freelanced with Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins,...
fashioned a sound with a percussive, street feel inspired by the hot steam grates and pavement they walked, the propulsive drive of the lives they were leading. The world came to know it as hard bop
Hard bop
Hard bop is a style of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz which incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in the saxophone and piano...
, and it codified what came to be called the "Blue Note
Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards. It derives its name from the characteristic "blue notes" of jazz and the blues. At the end of the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, Blue Note headquarters...
sound"
Hank Mobley became a key player in the Blue Note orbit at a point when his particular skills and the emerging format for studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
recording were in a most complimentary zone. The sidemen reads like a "Who's Who of Hard Bop". The musicians who participated in one or more of Hank's nine `50s sessions include Donald Byrd
Donald Byrd
Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd is best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remaining a...
, Lee Morgan
Lee Morgan
Edward Lee Morgan was an American hard bop trumpeter.-Biography:...
, Kenny Dorham, Art Farmer
Art Farmer
Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...
, Sonny Clark
Sonny Clark
Conrad Yeatis "Sonny" Clark was an American jazz pianist who mainly worked in the hard bop idiom.-Biography:...
, Horace Silver, Wynton Kelly
Wynton Kelly
Wynton Kelly was a Jamaican-born jazz pianist, who spent his career in the United States. He is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1959-1962.-Biography:...
, Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic...
, Philly Joe Jones
Philly Joe Jones
Joseph Rudolph Jones was a Philadelphia-born United States jazz drummer, known as the drummer for the Miles Davis Quintet.Philly Joe Jones was often confused with another influential jazz drummer, Jo Jones...
and Art Blakey. Of the 9 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s collected on this 6 CD/10 LP limited edition set, two were only previously issued in Japan.
Discography
(A) Hank Mobley (ts), Horace Silver (p), Doug Watkins (b), Art Blakey (d).March 27, 1955
tk 2 Walkin' The Fence (alt tk) (J)CJ28-5128
tk 3 Walkin' The Fence BLP 5066
tk 5 Avila And Tequila -
tk 6 Hank's Prank (alt tk) (J)CJ28-5128
tk 8 Hank's Prank BLP 5066
tk 10 Just Coolin' -
tk 12 My Sin -
tk 14 Love For Sale -
(B) Donald Byrd, Lee Morgan (tp), Hank Mobley (ts), Horace Silver (p), Paul Chambers (b), Charlie Persip (d).
November 25, 1956
tk 2 Double Whammy BLP 1540
tk 3 Barrel Of Funk -
tk 4 Barrel Of Funk (alt tk) previously unissued
tk 6 Mobleymania BLP 1540
tk 7 Touch And Go -
(C) Hank Mobley (ts), Milt Jackson (vbs), Horace Silver (p), Doug Watkins (b), Art
Blakey (d).
January 13, 1957
tk 2 Reunion BLP 1544
tk 3 Lower Stratosphere -
tk 4 Don't Walk -
tk 6 Ultramarine -
tk 7 Mobley's Musings -
note: In the Cuscuna/Ruppli Blue Note discography, a possible alternate take of
Ultramarine (take 5) is listed. But no tape exists for this item.
(D) Hank Mobley (ts), Art Farmer (tp), Horace Silver (p), Doug Watkins (b), Art Blakey
(d).
March 8, 1957
tk 1 Wham And They're Off BLP 1550
tk 4 Wham And They're Off (alt tk) (Du) 1A158-83385/8
tk 5 Funk In Deep Freeze (alt tk)
tk 6 Funk In Deep Freeze BLP 1550
tk 7 Startin' From Scratch -
tk 8 Stella-wise -
tk 9 Base On Balls -
tk 10 Fin De L'Affaire -
note: All titles issued on the CD version of this album (B2-46816)
(E) Donald Byrd (tp), John Jenkins (as), Hank Mobley (ts), Bobby Timmons (p), Wilbur
Ware (b), Philly Joe Jones (d).
April 21, 1957
tk 2 Easy To Love BLP 1560
tk 3 Fit For A Hanker -
tk 4 Hi Groove Low Feedback -
tk 7 Time After Time -
tk 9 Dance Of The Infidels -
(F) Bill Hardman (tp), Curtis Porter (Shafi Hadi) (as, ts), Hank Mobley (ts), Sonny
Clark (piano), Paul Chambers (b), Art Taylor (d).
June 23, 1957
tk 2 Mighty Moe And Joe (alt tk) (Du) 1A158-83391/4
tk 2/3 Mighty Moe And Joe BLP 1568
tk 5 News -
tk 6 Bags' Groove -
tk 8 Double Exposure -
tk 10 Falling In Love With Love -
note: The original mono master of Mighty Moe And Joe was take 2 with the trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and
tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
solos from take 3. The unedited take 2 was issued in stereo on Box 3 of 40 Years Of
Jazz - The History Of Blue Note. It was also issued on the first stereo CD release of this
album, (J) TOCJ-1568. That CD is also missing the insert ending for Double Exposure.
(G) Kenny Dorham (tp), Hank Mobley (ts), Sonny Clark (p), Jimmy Rowser (b), Art Taylor
(d).
August 18, 1957
tk 5 My Reverie BN (J) 61006
tk 6 Curtain Call -
tk 9 On The Bright Side -
tk 10 The Mobe -
tk 11 Don't Get Too Hip -
tk 12 Deep In A Dream (no tp) -
(H) Art Farmer (tp), Hank Mobley (ts), Pepper Adams
Pepper Adams
Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III was a jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 43 pieces, was the leader on twenty albums, and participated in 600 sessions as a sideman.-Biography:...
(bari), Sonny Clark (p), Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic...
(b), Philly Joe Jones
Philly Joe Jones
Joseph Rudolph Jones was a Philadelphia-born United States jazz drummer, known as the drummer for the Miles Davis Quintet.Philly Joe Jones was often confused with another influential jazz drummer, Jo Jones...
(d).
October 20, 1957
tk 3 Gettin' Into Something GXF (J) 3066
tk 4 Tune Up -
tk 6 Poppin' -
tk 8 East Of Brooklyn -
tk 12 Darn That Dream -
(I) Lee Morgan (tp), Hank Mobley (ts), Wynton Kelly (p), Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers, Jr. was a jazz bassist. A fixture of rhythm sections during the 1950s and 1960s, his importance in the development of jazz bass can be measured not only by the length and breadth of his work in this short period but also his impeccable time, intonation, and virtuosic...
(b), Charlie Persip
Charlie Persip
Charli Persip , is an American jazz drummer. Born in Morristown, New Jersey as Charles Lawrence Persip, he changed his name to Charli Persip in the early 1980s.-Biography:...
(d).
February 9, 1958
tk 2 High And Flighty (alt tk)
tk 3 High And Flighty BLP 1574
tk 4 Stretchin' Out (alt tk)
tk 5 Stretchin' Out BLP 1574
tk 6 Peckin' Time -
tk 10 Git-Go Blues -
tk 11 Speak Low -
tk 12 Speak Low (alt tk)
all titles issued on the CD version of this album (B2-81574)
Album index:
BLP 5066 The Hank Mobley Quartet
Hank Mobley Quartet
Hank Mobley Quartet is the debut album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley released on the Blue Note label in 1955 as BLP 5066, a 10" LP. It was recorded on March 27, 1955 and features Mobley, Horace Silver, Doug Watkins and Art Blakey...
(J)CJ28-5128 CD reissue of above
BLP 1540 Hank Mobley Sextet
Hank Mobley Sextet
Hank Mobley Sextet is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley released on the Blue Note label in 1957 as BLP 1540...
BLP 1544 Hank Mobley And His All-Stars
Hank Mobley and his All Stars
Hank Mobley and His All Stars is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley, released on the Blue Note label in 1957 as BLP 1544. It was recorded on January 13, 1957 and features Mobley, Milt Jackson, Horace Silver, Doug Watkins and Art Blakey.-Reception:...
BLP 1550 Hank Mobley Quintet
Hank Mobley Quintet
Hank Mobley Quintet is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley released on the Blue Note label in 1957 as BLP 1550. It was recorded on March 8, 1957 and features Mobley, Art Farmer, Doug Watkins, Horace Silver, and Art Blakey...
B2-46816 CD reissue of above
BLP 1560 Hank
Hank (album)
Hank is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley released on the Blue Note label in 1957 as BLP 1560. It was recorded on January 13, 1957 and features Mobley, Donald Byrd, John Jenkins, Bobby Timmons, Wilbur Ware and Philly Joe Jones.-Reception:...
BLP 1568 Hank Mobley
Hank Mobley (album)
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.-Reception:...
(J) BN 61006 Curtain Call
Curtain Call (Hank Mobley album)
Curtain Call is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley first released on the Blue Note label in Japan in 1984. It was recorded on August 18, 1957 and features Mobley, Kenny Dorham, Jimmy Rowser, Sonny Clark and Art Taylor.-Reception:...
(J) GXF 3066 Poppin'
Peckin' Time
Peckin' Time is an album by saxophonist Hank Mobley and trumpeter Lee Morgan first released on the Blue Note label in 1959 as BLP 1574. It was recorded on February 9, 1958 and features Mobley, Morgan, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Charlie Persip....
BLP 1574 Peckin' Time
Peckin' Time
Peckin' Time is an album by saxophonist Hank Mobley and trumpeter Lee Morgan first released on the Blue Note label in 1959 as BLP 1574. It was recorded on February 9, 1958 and features Mobley, Morgan, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Charlie Persip....
B2-81574 CD stereo reissue of above
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio
Van Gelder Studio
The Van Gelder Studio is a recording studio located at 445 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. It was set up in 1959 by Rudy Van Gelder and has been used to record many albums released by major jazz labels such as Verve Records, Blue Note, Prestige and CTI Records.-Background:After having...
, Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack, New Jersey
Hackensack is a city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States and the county seat of Bergen County. Although informally called Hackensack, it was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 43,010....