| Hank Mobley |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT HANK MOBLEY | |
| american jazz saxophonists | |
| mobley, hank | |
| jazz tenor saxophonists | |
| hard-bop musicians | |
| people from georgia u.s. state | |
| 1930 births | |
| 1986 deaths | |
Henry (Hank) Mobley ( July 7 , 1930 – May 30 , 1986 ) was an American Hard Bop and Soul Jazz tenor Saxophonist and Composer . Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Stan Getz . This description however was translated by jazz connoisseurs as though Mobley were mediocre. And, as his style was laid-back, subtle and melodic, especially in contrast with players like Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane , it took connoisseurs until after his demise to fully appreciate his talent. Mobley was born in Eastman, Georgia , but was raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, near Newark. Early in his career, he worked with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach . He took part on one of the landmark Hard Bop sessions, alongside Blakey, Silver and trumpeter Kenny Dorham . The results of these sessions were released as ''Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers''. They contrasted with the classical pretensions of Cool Jazz , with Mobley's rich lyricism being bluesier, alongside the funky approach of Horace Silver. When The Jazz Messengers split in 1956, Mobley continued on with pianist Horace Silver for a short time, although he did work again with Blakey several years later. During the 1960s, he worked chiefly as a leader, recording 25 albums for Blue Note Records , including ''Soul Station'' and ''Roll Call'', between 1955 and 1970. He performed with many of the most important Hard Bop players, such as Grant Green , Freddie Hubbard , Sonny Clark , Wynton Kelly and Philly Joe Jones , and formed a particularly productive partnership with trumpeter Lee Morgan . Mobley is widely recognized as one of the great composers of originals in the hard-bop era, with interesting chord changes and room for soloists to spread out. His 1961 album, Another Workout , while considered an instant classic, was inexplicably not released until 1985. Mobley also spent a brief time in 1961 with Miles Davis , during the trumpeter's search for a replacement for John Coltrane . He is heard on the album '' Someday My Prince Will Come '' (alongside Coltrane, who returned for the recording of some tracks), and some live recordings (''In Person: Live at the Blackhawk'' and ''At Carnegie Hall''). Though criticized by some for not having the improvisational fire of Coltrane, Mobley was still a major voice on tenor saxophone, known for his melodic playing. Mobley was forced to retire in the mid-1970s due to lung problems. He worked briefly with Duke Jordan before his death of Pneumonia in 1986 . SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
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