Soul Station

This is an amazing CD and recording! Rudy Van Gelder was one of the best engineers in the business, and thankfully, was able to capture some of Jazz's most notable artists on vinyl, the way they were meant to be heard! Whether they were in someone's living room, or Rudy's Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey home or studio. This is why Jazz afficionados and audiophiles alike seek out RVG's recordings to the ends of the earth! The intimacy and warmth the RVG was able to capture on these recordings is the stuff of legends! I had the distinct privelege of hearing many of Rudy's conversations on the Amateur Radio bands (Ham Radio) when I lived in Jersey back in the 60's through 80's! He was a licensed Ham Radio operator.Hank Mobley was known as one of the best tenor saxophonists during the 1950s and 1960s. He can be heard on many various recordings of the era as a contributing sideman or as a leader. He peaks on this album, which is his very own with a hard bop swing that never fails to thrill hardcore jazz fans! For many, this is considered one of the very best Jazz recordings. A 'must own'!

Aside from the fact that the Rhythm section Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Blakey (drums) consisted of some the greatest men ever to practice the musical art we call jazz and each has contributed to a mountain of beautiful music in their own right. This album is special; it has that quality that even friends of mine who don't regularly choose to listen to jazz find enjoyable. It possesses a feeling throughout the entire recording that invites any listener to enjoy it; like better known works by other artist, "Kind of Blue", "Saxophone Colossus", and "My Favorite Things", come to mind. This album may be the best representation of Hank Mobley's warmer and playfully graceful sound. His technique was huge but he didn't flaunt it, his tone was beautiful but he didn't rest on it, and his creativity with melody was exceptional but he didn't lose the soul of the songs he interpreted. His melodic invention is a textbook of good and still surprising choices throughout, and at the same time easy to follow and enjoy for almost anyone even on the first listening. Even if you don't usually like jazz there is more than a good chance you'll appreciate this. I still can't figure out why more people haven't discovered this fantastic recording yet, but I'm glad I did. Mobley's "Workout", his work with Grant Green and with Miles Davis on "Live at the Blackhawk" are highly recommended but not of this level. Hank Mobley is an under-sung hero of the tenor who deserves all the praise I can offer. This one is in my personal top twenty favorite jazz recordings.

In the 1960s Hank Mobley made a series of recordings on Blue Note as a leader. They were all swinging, uncomplicated, and made for pleasurable listening. This is one of the better ones. I remember Hank Mobley and if you dig his music you won't be disappointed.

It's been said Hank Mobley doesn't get as much credit as Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, etc. This is true, but doesn't change the fact he released this gem in 1960. He is a very expressive player and his sound on this album of 4 originals and 2 standards just conveys a mood of happiness and lightheartedness that I haven't heard on other jazz albums. Highly recommended as one of the best Jazz albums. A classic.

Hank Mobley is in a total class by himself. the lyrical, melodicbeauty is always understated.His tone is beyond unique. Every note on this release has a depth of mindfulness, which makes it a blue note classic.

What a great record ! Terrific work from Hank

Freddie Hubbard bring some latin flavor with congas and the result is a masterpiece.One of my favorite FH recordings, after "Here to Stay".

I won't go through the nuts and bolts of this session . This record has a wonderful feel to it . Melodies rampant and plenty of room for each player . Hard to think of a more complete intro to really good jazz . Definitely 5 Stars

CD Review – Blue Note 1999 AAD 24 bit transferThis recording is outstanding both sonically and musically. It is very, very clear and the sensitive recording allows all the instruments to shine, especially the drums and bass which can often be relegated to the background.The piano and sax benefit from the crystal clear nature of the recording. The sound stage presents a broad stereo image which at times is very lifelike.The sound quality is excellent and it is worth adding this recording to your collection.I have not set out to write reviews of the music content as “beauty is in the ears of the listener”. These reviews are about the quality (or not) of the recorded sound. To read about how the reviews are done please see my profile. • Clarity - excellent • Channel separation – very good • Channel balance – excellent instrument placement and positioning • Sound Stage – very good, wide and deep, very detailed and rich. Excellent stereo image, well presented • Distortion – non audible • Compression – tremendous clarity and dynamic range, clear highs and lows with excellent dynamic sonic range • Atmosphere - - studio but the extreme clarity and detail when linked with the rich sound stage make it possible to imagine the band playing in front of you • Bass – low frequencies – excellent, detailed warm tones of the double bass are clearly audible. The acoustic bass has a depth and richness which help drive the music forwards with a clearly defined rhythm and beat. The drum sound is excellent, the snare has a good rattle and ring when played hard. The bass is not lost in the background but is clearly audible pounding away. • Treble – high frequencies – The piano has a crispness and tone to die for. The notes decay well and the piano sound compliments the powerful and clear sound of the saxophone. The quality of the musicianship and recording provide both clarity and space for the musicians to perform. There is a punch which is highlighted by the crisp sound. • Vocals - noneAs a general rule of thumb recordings from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s are nearly always better on the original vinyl. Remasters often fail to please as it’s just not possible to make a silk purse from a sows ear, i.e. the original recording lacks the necessary detail to be processed digitally and show an audible improvement. Indeed such processing can make the sound worse.Modern recordings which have been processed digitally from start to finish can be as good as vinyl. CD’s are often unfairly criticised for being poor quality. This is not the case, it is the original recording or the process which is to blame. Modern “remasters” can both enhance and degrade a recording. The statement GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out) is the limiting factor. Ignore this at your cost.

Mobley was an underrated player during his lifetime but thankfully his reputation has undergone a belated reassessment in recent years. Although nobody could realistically accuse Mobley of breaking any new ground or pushing any musical envelopes with either the choice of material or playing, this misses the point. What you have here is a solid set played expertly by all concerned. In short, a fine album beautifully played.

What is there to say about this album that hasn't already been said? Hank Mobley, the middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone, had a productive discography, both as leader and sideman. Out of all those albums, though, this definitely rates as his finest effort. Finding himself in a quartet for the second of only three times in his career as leader (see "Hank Mobley Quartet" for his first effort, which features the original Jazz Messengers minus Kenny Dorham; and see "Another Workout", which has the same personnel as "Workout", but without Grant Green), Mobley makes his way through four originals and two standards. They highlight, from beginning to end, Mobley's talent as a hard bop musician. And this album also highlights Mobley's drawing power. On piano is Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers on bass, and the great Art Blakey on drums. Indeed, all four men had been a part of Miles Davis' band at some point in their lives.If you are looking for that "Blue Note sound", this is a good place to start. There are no high shrieks or low groans, no wildly long compositions. There is just a fine session of swinging, bluesy, soulful tunes with Mobley's well-rounded tone prevalent throughout. In particular, "Dig Dis" remains one of my favourite jazz songs of all time and it is typical of that Blue Note sound. This period of Mobley's career was incredibly productive and had some great results, of which "Soul Station" is the finest example of. If you are just starting to build a jazz career or want to know where to start, this is a must-buy.

A remarkable jazz album and Hank Mobley's best! I give this the highest score possible its an absolute treasure!

This album is alot of fun with its memorable little intro tunes that introduce the pieces then the solos are great fun too with bass and drum solos and the obviously saxophone solos Hank Mobley is a fine saxophonist he has an almost whistful tone to his saxophone playing it almost feels kind of laid back. Wynton Kelly's Piano playing is adventurous and lively while Paul Chambers back everyone up on his sturdy basslines and ARt Blakey gives those drums a work out too excellent music that you don't need to be a jazz snob to enjoy :D