The Hank Mobley of the Turnaround album was a markedly different one from a few years earlier. This session issued in early 1965 was the product of two different sessions. The first was in March of 1963, immediately after Mobley left the Miles Davis band. Those recordings produced "East of the Village," possibly the greatest example of Mobley's "round tone" on record, and the other was "The Good Life," a ballad. The rest was recorded nearly two years later in February of 1965. The title cut was produced here - an Alfred Lion answer to Lee Morgan's "Sidewinder," which was burning up the charts - as well as the beautiful "Pat 'n' Chat," with "Straight Ahead" and "My Sin" rounding out the program…
Part of Blue Note's quality series of artist samplers, The Best of Hank Mobley surveys the great tenor saxophonist's prime stretch from 1955-1965. Originally overshadowed by the likes of Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, and, of course, Coltrane, Mobley nevertheless gained the respect of his peers, thanks to his richly fluid phrasing and smooth, caramel tone – in lieu of trying to impress you, he seduced you slowly from afar. And while one is advised to dive in directly with any one of his Blue Note discs – especially Soul Station, No Room for Squares, and A Slice of the Top – this ten-track overview still works well as a launching pad. Backed by a stellar array of "Blue Note" regulars like Lee Morgan, Curtis Fuller, Billy Higgins, Freddie Hubbard, and Horace Silver, Mobley ranges effortlessly from early hard bop favorites ("Funk in a Deep Freeze") to mature, solo-rich material from the mid-'60s ("The Turnaround"). In between, there are two stunning originals from his banner year of 1960 ("This I Dig of You," "Take Your Pick") and one of the best of his several bossa nova numbers ("Recado Bossa Nova"). For listeners who just want a taste, this best-of collection will do the trick just fine.
An amazing run of music – some of our favorite albums ever recorded for the Blue Note label, and the legendary second chapter of the career of tenor genius Hank Mobley! Hank was already a hell of a tenor player when he came on the scene in the 50s – graced with this deeply soulful style that helped usher in a whole new generation of talents on the instrument – but during his final years at Blue Note, he really took off with amazing new ideas, unusual rhythms, mindblowing arrangements, and the kind of compositional skill she never showed at the start!
This album is INCREDIBLE. The way Bobby Hutcherson, Grant Green and John Patton lock in on their lines is almost surreal. The selections groove, but they're also deep, and the the musicians seem to connect on a deeply spiritual level. - - This is NOT just another Jazz organ combo album. It takes a new direction - - the sound is modern and progressive… John Patton at times is earthy and bluesy and at other times, very off center and mesmerizing. Melodically the stuff he's doing is almost Coltrane-esque, however, John's style is to understate things, and play with your sense of melodic imagination. Its an interactive listen, but if you're not feeling deep, you can say, "What the heck !" and get up and dance and it'll be just as good. This is probably one of the most inspired sessions to come out of those studios.
50 of the baddest, bopping-est, funkiest and bluesiest licks you must know The path from pentatonic sameness to heavy jazzed blues cat-itude often appears strewn with mystifying theoretical explanations and effete bossa renditions of "The Days of Wine and Roses." Feh! David Hamburger's 50 Jazz-Blues Licks You MUST Know cuts right to the chase, offering up some of the baddest, bopping-est, funkiest and bluesiest ways to navigate through any shuffle, boogaloo, minor blues or jazz-blues chord changes.