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Hank Mobley

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Hank Mobley was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and composer, born on 7 July 1930 in Eastman, Georgia and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, near Newark. As a child he played piano. When he was sixteen and stuck at home ill for months, his grandmother bought him a saxophone. He was refused entry to a music school in Newark because he did not live there, and taught himself theory and harmony from books.

Music and breakthrough

At nineteen he played in local bands, and soon afterwards he worked for the first time with Dizzy Gillespie and Max Roach. Roach introduced him to the New York jazz world in 1951. He then often played with the drummer Art Blakey, in one of the first hard bop sessions, together with Horace Silver, Doug Watkins and Kenny Dorham. In the second half of the 1950s he recorded a great deal for Blue Note, with Lee Morgan, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Jackie McLean and Herbie Hancock, among others. In the 1960s he worked mainly as a leader and recorded for Blue Note until 1970. Soul Station (1960) is regarded as his best record, and Roll Call also dates from that year.

Influence

The critic Leonard Feather called him the middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone. His tone was not as fierce as John Coltrane's and not as soft as Lester Young's. He died on 30 May 1986. He shows how hard bop can also be relaxed and melodic.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Soul Station (1960) and notice the round, warm tone of the tenor saxophone. Hear how he plays with loose, melodic phrases rather than with lots of notes.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

See also

Categories: ArtistsHard bop