Customer Reviews

Soul Station

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Recorded by Rudy Van Gelder in February of 1960, Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Blakey (drums) created one of the best Blue Note albums of all time. Or at the very least, one my my favorites. =)

I feel like I always say the same thing about Hank's playing, but I'll say it again. He had remarkable restraint. He never has what I would call "ecstatic emotional highs", but he is calmly emotionally powerful almost all the time. He doesn't work himself up into a froth and a frenzy, buliding up to any sort of freewheeling burst of saxophonic energy as some other tenor players might do. I guess that can be a good or a bad thing, depending on your mood at the time, or your tastes as a whole, but I think it's fascinating. His tone is incredible, as if he is blowing melodic, lyrical lines of warm satin out of his horn.

There isn't one tune here I could say anything bad about. Everyone is ON... ALL the time. Art Blakey was swing incarnate on this date, and Wynton Kelly was Wynton Kelly... lyrical, playful, bluesy as all get-out. I love Wynton's playing. There's just no other way to put it. He was one of the most tuned-in pianists ever. His touch and approach feel like they were tailor-made for my soul. Honestly, even if you didn't much like Hank himself I could still see you liking this album just by focusing on Wynton, Paul and Art. They are a killer band in and of themselves... everyone just milking every ounce of style and heart out of every tune presented here. You didn't think I had forgotten about Paul, did you? The great bassist at the core of probably more fantastic sessions than any other bassist in history. James Jamerson of Motown is (well, was) the only other bass player I can think of who may rival that number.

This is one of those albums where I don't think it matters where you are in the jazz spectrum... whether you've been listening to jazz longer than I've been alive and just haven't gotten around to getting this remaster, or you're in the market to buy your 3rd jazz album, you cannot go wrong with this masterpiece. It's only a little over 30 minutes long, but it's a magnificent 30+ minutes.

Hank Mobley is one of the most prolifically recorded instrumentalists in the history of jazz, mostly as a side-man with the likes of Art Blakey, Horace Silver, and Miles Davis. Yet seldom does his name arise in discussions of the great tenor players. In some respects, the oversight is understandable. He did not approach music with an agenda, a persona, a gimmick or any sort of extra-musical purpose. His tone is warm, exquisitely "natural" and soulful--not husky, penetrating, or dipped in excess testerone. I'm not sure about his background, but if there's any such thing as a natural, "born" musician it's Mobs. He's perhaps the most "reactive" player the music has known. There are tenor players who construct solos out of more or less "set" phrases or formulae (Sonny Stitt); who deliberately create harmonic complexity (Coltrane) or test the limits of a single motif (Rollins). But Mobs is a player who simply takes what he's given--he hears the chord change and reacts to it. And his responses are invariably fresh, lyrical, ceaselessly stirring and surprising in their sheer melodic inventiveness. Listen to his solo on "Bye Bye Blackbird" on Miles Davis' "Live at the Blackhawk" if you want to hear improvisation at its very best. The man may have had great technique. The point is that his musical imagination was of an order that didn't require it. The melody just pours out his horn with such inspiration that the familiar arsenal in most tenors' repertoires--the top tones, harmonics, alternate fingurings, wobbles and other articulations--is completely beside the point in a Mobley solo.
In 1961-62 Blue Note had the foresight to record Mobley as leader on 4 priceless albums. "Soul Station" is my favorite of the four because he doesn't have to share solo time with another horn and because the tunes, Irving Berlin's sentimental old chestnut, "Remember," as well as Mobley originals, push him to draw deeply upon that inexhaustible reservoir of lyrical emotion and melodic invention. When I heard Mobs in the seventies, he was a mere shadow of his former self. There were rumors that his horn had been stolen, that he was playing "leaky" borrowed instruments he couldn't afford to have repaired, that both his chops and mind were totally wasted. It's a story played out all too frequently with so many of the greats--Lester, Ben, Hawk. All the more reason not only to own a recording such as this but to be its responsible custodian for future generations who have not lost the capacity to hear.

mr. mobley was a prolific artist for blue note turning out a myriad of albums, some good, others not (at times it seemed he got bored). this is one of the best. backed by wynton kelly, paul chambers, and art blakey, mr. mobley is focused, bluesy, and hard swinging. the opening three tracks are worth the price of admission alone. 'remember' sets the groove, and 'this i dig...' and 'dig dis' keep it going. if you're not wiggling your hips by the time these three tracks are done, you may need to check your pulse. this is hard bop at its best, blending the beat of r-n-b with the swing and drive of classic jazz. the solos are outstanding and the rhythm section's time impeccable (and you've got to love art blakey's rim shots that keep the fire stoked). the second half of the album settles into the blue note sound: solid modern jazz with be-bop edginess. 'split feelin's'is a classic. the title track returns to the groove, and the album closes out with a solid ballad. all in all, a very satisfying session from one of the best of blue note's tenor men.

Soul Station is one of the best, if not the best session lead by tenor Hank Mobley. Backing Mobley are, Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Art Blakey on drums. This high powered quartet digs into the material, producing an album packed with outstanding performances. Mobley is at the height of his powers, his tone is not as hard as Rollins or Coltrane or as light as Getz or Young, but he plays with confidence and a powerful sense of swing throughout. Propelled by the volcanic drumming of Blakey, the musicians all contribute hard swinging solos. The laid back "Remember", "This I Dig of You", and the mellow funk of "Dig Dis" all produce flowing grooves you find yourself whistleing after the disc is over. Along with Mobley's "Workout", this cd is an absolute must have. Recommened.

If you're looking for high quality easy-listening jazz, then you're spot on. Everything goes here, beautiful melodies, soft and at times agressive playing but never harsh. Top notch sidemen, what else can you ask. A record to listen anytime & everywhere. Go get it!

If you're like me, you've heard Mobley play on many different albums and with many different musicians: "Walkin'" with Miles Friday Night at the Blackhawk, "Doodlin'" with Horace Silver & the Jazz Messengers, Etc. (If you don't have those albums, you best be warming up your credit card!) I'd heard of the Soul Station album previously, but avoided it because I worried it would be too far towards the "soul jazz" movement side of things. Maybe a little too pop oriented like some (not all!) of the soul-jazz albums seemed to be. Because I've never heard any music come from Mobley's horn that wasn't genuine, I bit the bullet and bought this album - I was NOT disappointed. If you haven't bought this album yet, all I can say is "wait no longer" If you liked Mobley on Walkin' and Doodlin', you will flip over this album. His playing is superb, honest, creative, and no BS. Further, listening to Wynton Kelly's solos, as well as his playing behind Hank, are reason enough to buy the album. Throw in Art Blakey and Paul Chambers, and I'm done talking.

Listening to this warm, rich cd is like enjoying a hot chocolate on a cold winter night, or like watching the sun set over the city. This disc evokes many emotions from me. It literally feels 'warm' to me. Not that this music is sappy or lounge-like. Not at all. This stuff swings. It simmers. It bubbles over. There is an infectious quality to "Remember", "This I Dig of You", and "Dig Dis" especially. "Split Feelin's" really chugs along with enthusiasm and light spirit. The title track is great and "If I Should Lose You" displays a tender quality to Mobley's horn playing that reminds me somewhat of Dexter Gordon in his more introspective moments. This is one of the best hard-bop era recordings. Period. It's not called a classic for no reason...

ESSENTIAL.

Yes, one of the definitive Hanks...and Blue Notes. But in PERFECT TAKES, the sampler CD + DVD interview of Rudy Van Gelder, the sample cut from SOUL STATION, an originally stereo recording, is in mono. None of our reviewers state SOUL STATION was mysteriously remastered in mono by Rudy; so perhaps Blue Note screwed up that cut just on PERFECT TAKES somehow, just like they forgot to include the DVD in a whole batch of PERFECT TAKES that they shipped out (buy it used and cheap from Amazon sellers, so you can ask them to check if the DVD's in there too).

I think I'll stick with my previous Blue Note issue of SOUL STATION, thank you. We all revere Rudy. But let us think with our ears, not our hearts. The fact that he remastered the RVG series is no guarantee you'll like them better than the magnificent Japanese issues, or for that matter, previous issues you may have previously purchased. Save your bread. I've been listening to these Blue Notes for over 40 years, LPs through CDs. To my ears, these RVGs sound very good, but they can't touch the Japanese CDs. As with much of the domestic Blue Note CDs since day one, the RVGs still have those here and there harsh highs that interrupt your concentration and enjoyment, and send you to fiddling with the volume and treble controls. Never happens with Japanese--the world's only real Blue Note available "upgrade."

Actually, I have a suspicion that Rudy did not actually remaster all in this series, and that the RVG series is little more than yet another Michael Cuscuna remarketing strategy (let's see, how many times has Cuscuna issued some of these titles?--there's Ultimate, 16-Bit, Gold, Connoisseur, 24-Bit, RVG) and that many of these are repackaged Connoisseur series or hitherto shelved remasters. These really do sound very much like the Connoisseur series. And if you've ever heard the RVG of A NIGHT AT BIRDLAND, Art Blakey's ride cymbal rips our ears and ruins Clifford Brown's solo on the alternate of "Wee-Dot." I have a 1983 Japanese LP reissue that blows this RVG away. It's really hard for me to believe this is remastering by the great Rudy, especially when you consider, in an 1986 interview on NPR, when asked what his regrets are, Rudy immediately answered, "Not having the technology back then to really capture Clifford Brown's trumpet sound" (wow, as great as Clifford sounds on record, we will never really hear his sound). I think Cuscuna just puts Rudy's name on a lot of these.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If you buy any from the RVG series, GRAB the two Monk volumes. A digital process was applied by which just about all of the 1951 lacquer disc surface noise was eliminated, and much detail and nuance was brought out, so much so that previous issues are now terribly obsolete. The RVG Monks sound dramatically incredible by comparison.

A prediction: More and more people will get hip to and become sick and tired of Cuscuna's tactics. He will eventually manage Capitol Blue Note out of business, and all that will be available to us will be Japanese Blue Notes. And if you think they're expensive now...

Some of the other reviewers have written at length about what a
great recording this is. They're right, so I won't spend any time
repeating the same basic points that have already been made.

Bottom line: great album. If you like 1950s/early 1960s jazz, then buy this CD. You won't be disappointed. You might also want
to try Mobley's Workout CD, recorded in 1961.

One previous reviewer mentioned the excellent sound quality on this CD. Good point, so I'll add another comment about it. The album was recorded by Rudy Van Gelder. Anything Van Gelder recorded had excellent sound. Period.

As an anecdote of how good Van Gelder's sound quality is, I was recently in a local specialty audio equipment store and, as I was drooling over some high end audio gear, I got into a conversation about jazz with the owner. He wanted to get some jazz CDs to demo equipment but didn't know much about jazz. I told him about Blue Note Records and mentioned the quality of Rudy Van Gelder's recordings. That picqued his interest and he asked if could bring in a few CDs for him to listen to.

The next day I brought in 2 Van Gelder recordings: Hank Mobley's Soul Station (recorded in 1960) and Charles Earland's "Cookin With The Mighty Burner" (recorded in 1997). Suffice to say that this audiophile equipment store now uses both recordings to demo high end audio equipment.

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.