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Hank Mobley


Milestones

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Breakthrough is the bloodiest music Hank ever made, imo...talk about walking a tightrope without a net..and into a gale-force headwind at that...and yet not once does he stagger, stumble, or fall. It ain't pretty, but it sure is beautiful.

For everything else, there's Dippin'.

And for everything else, there's everything else!

You won't be surprised to hear I don't listen to Hank at that level, but I can recognise what you're saying.

MG

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Let me put in a good word for the 3 albums released in the LT series: A Slice Of The Top, Third Season, and Thinking Of Home. I think of these as "of a piece": sophisticated arrangements, great tunes, and interesting instrumentation. Some surprising musicians pop up: Woody Shaw, Sonny Greenwich, Eddie Diehl. These sessions also have a "polish" to them. Hank is great, as usual.

Spot on ! Throroughly enjoyed these when they came out on the LT series on vinyl way back when and still enjoy giving them a spin. Particularly like the presence of Sonny Greenwich on 'Third Season' and the arrangements on 'A Slice Of The Top'. Interesting to compare the latter with Andrew Hill's 'Passing Ships' and Sonny Criss' 'Sonny's Dream' on Prestige.

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Let me put in a good word for the 3 albums released in the LT series: A Slice Of The Top, Third Season, and Thinking Of Home. I think of these as "of a piece": sophisticated arrangements, great tunes, and interesting instrumentation. Some surprising musicians pop up: Woody Shaw, Sonny Greenwich, Eddie Diehl. These sessions also have a "polish" to them. Hank is great, as usual.

The last few years these have been the Mobleys I reach for. And with the new reissues from Japan they sound better than ever imo.

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Caddy for Daddy was my first, love 'em all, almost - including Reach Out, except the last one on Cobblestone.

I like that Cobblestone one. There's some very nice unaccompanied solo stuff somewhere in there, if I remember it right.

MG

You remembered right. I listened to this session for the very first time yesterday, after reading this thread. On Summertime Mobley plays some stuff that is on an unaccompanied solo tangent. This is very brittle stuff. I'm very glad to have been made aware of this album.

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This thread made me pull out "Breakthrough" - it dawned on me that this album may have been the first time I ever heard Mobley. I bought it for Walton, whom I had seen live at the time. I can't remember what impression he made on me, but know that I really fell in love with his playing when I heard "Soul Station" some time later. To read that he was only 41 in 1972 when he practically was at the end of his career gives me goosebumps .....


"This is very brittle stuff." very nicely describes that music ...

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Been listening to quite a bit of Mobley recently

Not loving Peckin Time - seems like very rote late 50's date with a not fully formed Lee Morgan and an unimpressive very young Charlie Persip on drums

I think he is great on Drew's Undercurrent - plus Freddie is great as is Louis Hayes

Edited by Steve Reynolds
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I recently had a listen of Peckin' Time and I have time to say I'm among those not impressed. But I have pretty much been hearing for the first time such records as No Time for Squares, Roll Call, Soul Station, and the 1955 Mobley quartet with Silver and Blakey. That's some really fine stuff.

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Soul Station, Roll Call, Straight No Filter...Wayne Shorter and Hank do have a lot in common: great composers and players, albeit their own styles and education. Love every single record Hank cut for BN (leader and sideman) and plus. Great composer, unique sound and style. One of my top five favorites. 

Forgot Dippin' A beauty!!!

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13 minutes ago, Holy Ghost said:

Soul Station, Roll Call, Straight No Filter...Wayne Shorter and Hank do have a lot in common: great composers and players, albeit their own styles and education. Love every single record Hank cut for BN (leader and sideman) and plus. Great composer, unique sound and style. One of my top five favorites. 

Forgot Dippin' A beauty!!!

And the albums left in the can: Slice, Third Season, Poppin', Curtain Call, Thinking of Home...very good, if not very very good. No waste to be had there. 

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