Soul Station is Hank Mobley’s declared masterpiece. Mobley’s hot, brilliantly constructed solos have a smooth sound and loose feel. Featuring Miles Davis at the time, Mobley is joined by his bandmates Wynton Kelly and Paul Chambers along with a great Art Blakey. A true classic.
Tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley was part of the original line-up of the Jazz Messengers in the mid-1950s, when they were still trading under Horace Silver’s name. In the same year that this band made its first album for Blue Note, Mobley also recorded his first solo album for the label. Between 1955 and 1970, he would go on to record 25 more albums for Blue Note, becoming one of the label’s most important artists.
The tenor saxophonist reached the zenith of his abilities in 1960 with the album “Soul Station”, which jazz critic Bob Blumenthal placed on a par with Sonny Rollins’ “Saxophone Colossus” and John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” in terms of importance in 1999. Mobley recorded his masterpiece with pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Blakey.
