| Soul Station | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | Early October 1960 [1] | |||
| Recorded | February 7, 1960 | |||
| Studio | Van Gelder Studio Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Hard bop | |||
| Length | 37:23 | |||
| Label | Blue Note BLP 4031 | |||
| Producer | Alfred Lion | |||
| Hank Mobley chronology | ||||
| ||||
Soul Station is an album by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded on February 7, 1960 and released on Blue Note later that year. Mobley's quartet features rhythm section Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Art Blakey.
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio and rooted in the hard bop style, Mobley's quartet features Art Blakey (his past bandleader in the Jazz Messengers), and two bandmates from his time in the Miles Davis Quintet, Wynton Kelly and Paul Chambers.
The album's bookends are two standards, "Remember" by Irving Berlin and "If I Should Lose You" by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin. Between these standards are four new Mobley compositions, featuring the bluesy title track and the uptempo "This I Dig of You".
In the liner notes to the Rudy Van Gelder CD edition, jazz critic Bob Blumenthal explains how the album is understood to be, for Mobley, what Saxophone Colossus or Giant Steps were for Sonny Rollins or John Coltrane respectively. Blumenthal goes on to describe the recording as "one of the finest programs of music on Blue Note or any other label." [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [3] |
| DownBeat |  [4] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [5] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [6] |
AllMusic reviewer Stacia Proefrock concluded: "Overall, this is a stellar set from one of the more underrated musicians of the bop era." [3]
Pete Welding of DownBeat praised the album, calling it "a well-balanced and tasty blowing session that benefits from thoughtful preparation, [and which] finds the tenor saxophonist fronting a quartet composed of three of the finest rhythm men in the business." [4]
All compositions by Hank Mobley, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Remember" | Irving Berlin | 5:41 |
| 2. | "This I Dig of You" | 6:25 | |
| 3. | "Dig Dis" | 6:08 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Split Feelin's" | 4:55 | |
| 2. | "Soul Station" | 9:06 | |
| 3. | "If I Should Lose You" | 5:08 |
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Swedish Vinyl Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [7] | 5 |
Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospel music, and blues, especially in saxophone and piano playing.
Henry "Hank" Mobley was an American tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone, that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Lester Young, and his style that was laid-back, subtle and melodic, especially in contrast with players such as Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. The critic Stacia Proefrock claimed him "one of the most underrated musicians of the bop era." Mobley's compositions include "Double Exposure", "Soul Station", and "Dig Dis".
John Arnold Griffin III was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Nicknamed "the Little Giant" for his short stature and forceful playing, Griffin's career began in the mid-1940s and continued until the month of his death. A pioneering figure in hard bop, Griffin recorded prolifically as a bandleader in addition to stints with pianist Thelonious Monk, drummer Art Blakey, in partnership with fellow tenor Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and as a member of the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band after he moved to Europe in the 1960s. In 1995, Griffin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.
At the Cafe Bohemia, Vols. 1 & 2 are a pair of separate but related live albums by the Jazz Messengers recorded at the Café Bohemia jazz club in Greenwich Village on November 23, 1955 and released on Blue Note in April 1956.
Roll Call is an album by jazz tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley. It features trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey.
Johnny Griffin, Vol. 2, also known as A Blowing Session, is the second album by American jazz saxophonist Johnny Griffin, recorded on April 8, 1957 and released on Blue Note later that year.
Page One is the debut album by American jazz tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, recorded and released by Blue Note Records in 1963. Henderson is featured in a group with trumpeter Kenny Dorham, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Butch Warren and drummer Pete La Roca. The pieces on the album were written by either Henderson or Dorham, and include two pieces that went on to become jazz standards: Henderson’s "Recorda Me" and Dorham’s "Blue Bossa". All of the musicians are listed on the album's front cover with the exception of Tyner, who is credited as "ETC." due to his being signed to rival Impulse! Records.
Workout is an album by jazz tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley released on the Blue Note label in 1962. It features performances by Mobley, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, guitarist Grant Green, and drummer Philly Joe Jones. The album was identified by Scott Yanow in his Allmusic essay "Hard Bop" as one of 17 Essential Hard Bop Recordings. In October 2014, it was released in Japan on SHM-CD, featuring a previously unissued take of "Three Coins in the Fountain".
Hank Mobley with Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan, also known as Hank Mobley Sextet, is an album by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded on November 25, 1956 and released on Blue Note the following year. The sextet features trumpeters Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan, backed by rhythm section Horace Silver, Paul Chambers, and Charli Persip.
Hank Mobley Quintet, also known as Hank Mobley with Farmer, Silver, Watkins, Blakey, is an album by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded on March 8, 1957 and released on Blue Note later that year. The quintet features trumpeter Art Farmer and rhythm section Horace Silver, Doug Watkins and Art Blakey.
Hank Mobley Quartet is the debut ten-inch LP by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley, recorded on March 27, 1955 and released on Blue Note later that year. The quartet features rhythm section Horace Silver, Doug Watkins and Art Blakey.
Hank Mobley and His All Stars is an album by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley, recorded on January 13, 1957 and released on Blue Note later that year. The quintet features vibraphonist Milt Jackson and Jazz Messengers rhythm section Horace Silver, Doug Watkins and Art Blakey.
Hank Mobley is an album by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded on June 23, 1957 and released on Blue Note the following year. The sextet features horn section Bill Hardman and Curtis Porter and rhythm section Sonny Clark, Paul Chambers, and Art Taylor.
Peckin' Time is an album credited to American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley and trumpeter Lee Morgan recorded on February 9, 1958 and released on Blue Note the following year. The two are backed by rhythm section Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Charlie Persip.
Lee Morgan, also known as Lee Morgan, Volume 2, is an album by the Lee Morgan Sextet, recorded on December 2, 1956 and released on Blue Note the following year. The sextet features saxophonists Hank Mobley and Kenny Rodgers and rhythm section Horace Silver, Paul Chambers and Charlie Persip.
My Conception is an album by jazz pianist Sonny Clark, recorded for the Blue Note label and performed by Clark with Donald Byrd, Hank Mobley, Paul Chambers, and Art Blakey. It was originally released in 1979 in Japan, as GXF 3056, featuring six tracks recorded in 1959 including an alternate take of "Royal Flush", a track that had appeared on the album Cool Struttin'. The 2000 limited CD reissue also comprised the three additional tracks originally recorded for Sonny Clark Quintets, an album which never saw the light of the day until being released later only in Japan.
The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson, Vols. 1 & 2 are a pair of separate but related compilation albums by American jazz trombonist J. J. Johnson, recorded over three sessions between 1953 and 1955 and released on Blue Note in 1956.
Star Bright is an album by Jamaican jazz trumpeter Dizzy Reece recorded on November 19, 1959, shortly after his move to New York City, and released on Blue Note the following year.
Afro-Cuban is an album by American jazz trumpeter Kenny Dorham, recorded for Blue Note on March 29, 1955 and released later that year on the Blue Note Modern Jazz Series, shortly before the label discontinued the format. It was soon reissued on the new 1500 series, recompiled with a session by an early incarnation of the ensemble, with new cover art.
At the Jazz Corner of the World, Vols. 1 & 2 are a pair of separate but related live albums by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, recorded at the Birdland jazz club in New York City on April 15, 1959 and released on Blue Note later that year in September and October respectively. The quintet features horn section Lee Morgan and Hank Mobley and rhythm section Bobby Timmons, Jymie Merritt and Art Blakey.
