Aside
from his 1955 debut for Blue Note, Soul Station marked the first time that
saxophonist Hank Mobley went into the studio with just a rhythm section. This
wasn't just a chance meeting though. After just one listen, you can tell that
these musicians had played together before. Wynton Kelly (piano) and Paul
Chambers (bass) had worked with Mobley in Miles Davis' band, and Art Blakey
(drums) jammed with Mobley in the original lineup of Blakey's Jazz Messengers.
This is another release from Blue Note's recent RVG Series (all personally
remastered by legendary producer, Rudy Van Gelder); and like the other discs in
the series, the sound quality is superb.
Out of the six tracks on this record, there's not a bad one in the bunch.
The musicians serve up inspired performances throughout. If this is your first
exposure to Hank Mobley, it doesn't get much better than this. If you've already
heard this classic album, then you know how great it is. You don't need me to
tell you. There's only one thing wrong with this disc--it's too short.
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