HANK MOBLEY
Workout (Blue Note)
Reviewed by Ron Saranich

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To my ears, Hank Mobley's tenor sax playing epitomizes the Blue Note sound. Hank led 27 sessions for Blue Note, and each displays a high level of consistency, warmth and passion. Mobley - an original member of the Jazz Messengers, along with Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Kenny Dorham, and Doug Watkins - was at the forefront of Bop. At the time of this 1961 recording, Mobley was a member of Miles Davis' band. History has proven that Miles seriously misjudged Mobley's ability. The critic Dave Gelly wrote "Hank Mobley has been consistently undervalued because his prime virtues - elegance, rhythmic poise, warmth of tone, subtlety of nuance - fell out of fashion as he was reaching his maturity." On "Workout," Mobley is joined by Paul Chambers on bass, Grant Green on guitar, Philly Joe Jones on drums, and Wynton Kelly on piano. The band cooks through four Mobley originals and two standards, my personal favorite being the title track. Mobley flat out plays the hell out of this song. His approach is clear and emotional, his technique flawless. Lest you think Mobley could only play fast numbers, give a careful listen to his version of "Three Coins In The Fountain." In lesser hands, this song would sound trite and maudlin. However, Mobley plays with such feeling and imagination while sticking close to the melody that this song demands you pay close attention to his tenor. When it's over, I find myself humming the song for the rest of the day. A jazz collection is not complete without several Mobley recordings and "Workout" is an excellent place to start.

© 2000 - Ron Saranich