1957 · Album
Hank Mobley and His All Stars
Recorded August 18, 1957 · Blue Note (original session); Japanese Blue Note (1984 release) · Produced by Not specified in available sources
Mobley's August Afternoon: Relaxed and Rhythmic
Mobley's writing shows character and maturity, built on a uniquely rhythmic approach to melody.
This session captures Hank Mobley in a setting where everything stays loose and conversational. Recorded in August 1957, the date brings together Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Sonny Clark at the piano, Jimmy Rowser on bass, and Art Taylor on drums — a small group that knows how to listen to each other without overplaying. What you hear is Mobley's tenor moving through these melodies with what you might call a relaxed touch, never forcing anything, letting the rhythm do half the work. His phrasing has space in it. The bandmates don't crowd him; Clark's piano sits back, Rowser holds the low end steady, and Taylor keeps time without demanding attention.
Mobley's compositions here matter more than you might expect from a tenor date. He writes melodies that stick in your head because they've got a rhythmic shape to them — they don't just sit there prettily, they move. AllMusic reviewer Lee Bloom heard this clearly, noting that his writing exhibits character and maturity. The playing is generally enjoyable without being flashy. Dorham's trumpet sounds warm and direct, Clark's comping is economical, and there's a general sense that everyone agreed beforehand not to make a big statement. This is a working date, the kind of thing that happened constantly in New York jazz in the mid-1950s.
It's worth knowing that Curtain Call arrived much later, released on the Japanese Blue Note label in 1984, long after the original session. That gap matters — this wasn't part of Mobley's immediate discography or reputation building. It's more of a document, something that fills in the picture of what he sounded like in a straightforward blowing situation with good musicians who let him lead.
Who's playing
Doug Watkinsdouble bass
Horace Silverpiano
Hank Mobleytenor saxophone
Art Blakeydrums
Milt Jacksonvibraphone
Where next?
More by Hank Mobley
All 41 albums →
The musicians on this record
♫
Django 1959
Milt Jackson
plays vibraphone here
plays vibraphone here
A Night in Tunisia 1960
Art Blakey
plays drums (drum set) here
plays drums (drum set) here
Blowin' The Blues Away 1959
Horace Silver
plays piano here
plays piano here
