1956 · Album
Mobley's Message
Recorded July 20, 1956 · Prestige · Produced by Bob Weinstock
Hard Bop With Something to Say
Mobley and Byrd lock in tight, and the rhythm section keeps everything honest.
Hank Mobley was one of the busiest saxophonists in hard bop during the mid-1950s, and Mobley's Message (1957) is a solid example of why people kept calling him. Recorded on July 20, 1956, for the Prestige label, this is a straightahead hard bop session — no gimmicks, no reinvention of the wheel, just Mobley doing what he did well: blowing warm, melodic tenor lines that never overstay their welcome. The band around him is strong: Donald Byrd on trumpet, Barry Harris on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Harris in particular is a pleasure throughout — his comping is attentive without being pushy, and when he solos he sounds like he's actually thinking, not just running changes.
The session has a comfortable, working-band feel to it, which makes sense given how much these musicians were crossing paths in New York at the time. Jackie McLean guests on one track, and his sharper, more urgent alto tone makes for an interesting contrast with Mobley's rounder sound — it wakes the session up a little right when it needs it. These were two saxophonists with genuinely different personalities, and hearing them on the same track is one of the better reasons to track this album down.
This is not Mobley's most celebrated record — that conversation usually starts with his Blue Note work — but it holds up well on its own terms. If you already know Hank Mobley Soul Station (1960) and want to hear him earlier and a bit looser, this is a good place to go. Prestige sessions from this era could sometimes feel rushed, but this one has enough breathing room to let the playing land.
Who's playing
Doug Watkinsbass
Barry Harrispiano
Hank Mobleytenor saxophone
Jackie McLeanalto saxophone
Donald Byrdtrumpet
Art Taylordrums
Where next?
More by Hank Mobley
All 41 albums →
The musicians on this record
Love Byrd 1959
Donald Byrd
plays trumpet here
plays trumpet here
4, 5 and 6 1956
Jackie McLean
plays alto saxophone here
plays alto saxophone here
Barry Harris at The Jazz Workshop 1960
Barry Harris
plays piano here
plays piano here
