Hank Mobley Hi Voltage CD

Personnel: Hank Mobley (tenor saxophone); Hank Mobley; Jackie McLean (alto saxophone); Bob Cranshaw (double bass); Billy Higgins (drums); Blue Mitchell (trumpet); John Hicks (piano).
Audio Remasterer: Rudy Van Gelder.
Liner Note Authors: Leonard Feather; Bob Blumenthal.
Recording information: Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (10/09/1967).
Photographer: Francis Wolff.
This 1967 date by tenor saxophone great Hank Mobley was a high watermark for the Blue Note label during that exceptional year. Mobley wrote all six tunes here, and they offer the breadth and depth of his mature compositional method. All but one of his collaborators on this project were label veterans -- Jackie McLean, Blue Mitchell, Billy Higgins, and Bob Cranshaw. The lone exception was pianist John Hicks, and the recording session benefits greatly from his contribution. Hicks is a very lyrical player, even when he gets tough and funky. He is right at home with the hard bop blues on the title cut, which opens the set and provides a wonderfully swinging bottom for the soloists to trade fours and burrow through. His chromatic prowess and subtlety are very evident on the moving ballad "No More Goodbyes," where his gently shaded harmonies and ostinatos offer Mobley a beautiful backdrop to solo from. Mobley's sense of rhythmic invention is showcased on the breezy yet finger-popping "Bossa De Luxe," and the three horns go deep into the groove -- using Higgins and Hicks as counterweights in the funky, greasy "Flirty Gerty" that closes the set. In all, this date is solid, ranking with the very best of Mobley's offerings for Blue Note. ~ Thom Jurek
This is a typically enjoyable Hank Mobley date from the last great year of music from Blue Note, 1967. The talented tenor, who contributed all six compositions, is teamed with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, altoist Jackie McLean, pianist John Hicks, bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Billy Higgins (all Blue Note veterans except Hicks), and everyone plays up to par. The music sticks to advanced hard bop with hints of funk, bossa nova and modal tunes. Strange that none of these selections, which include the ballad "No More Goodbys," "Bossa De Luxe" and "Flirty Gerty" caught on. ~ Scott Yanow