Hank Mobley discography session

[bertrand]

'A-1' is a tune from the 11/7/56 Lee Morgan/Hank Mobley Savoy session. It was not issued at the time.

Some discographies claim this is really 'Get Happy'. I disagree.

The recent Savoy Birth Of Hard Bop 2-fer credits it to Mobley, which I can believe, because the intro sounds like ANOTHER Mobley tune.

So is 'A-1' really an alternate title for another Mobley tune? If so, which?

It's driving me nuts. Hank has so many compositions, I haven't learned them all yet.

If only Aric were here

Bertrand.

Edited January 1, 2006 by bertrand

[mikeweil]

To quote Doug Ramsey's liner notes to Savoy SJL 1104 - the album which first issued this tune - :

"A-1", issued here for the first time, is Mobley's saucy line on "Get Happy" .....

- he probably wants to say it is a Mobley original on Get Happy changes - it is credited to Mobley on the label. Claude Schlouch lists it in his discography as "A-1 (Get Happy)" which probably led to others' misinterpretations.

Don't have the opportunity to listen to this now, however .....

Edited January 1, 2006 by mikeweil

[Claude Schlouch]

The double CD Savoy 92905-2 “The Birth Of Hard Bop” does not mention Get Happy but only A-1 composed by Hank Mobley for both takes of which one previously unissued.

Maybe original producer Ozzie Cadena could make all light on this title…

Ozzie CADENA

P.O. Box 655

Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

U.S.A

[bertrand]

Claude,

Thanks! I do have this double CD, and I noticed that the piece is not 'Get Happy'. It might be based on the chord changes, however.

The last thing I need to figure out is that this might be a song Hank recorded again, probably for Blue Note, under a different title. I am almost finishing putting all of Hank's compositions on my iPod, so this will help me make the determination.

I will post the results when I have them - it may be a few months though.

I was hoping to make the process quicker if someone on organissimo had the answer!

Bonne annee 2006,

Bertrand.

Edited January 2, 2006 by bertrand

[Swinging Swede]

The recent Savoy Birth Of Hard Bop 2-fer credits it to Mobley, which I can believe, because the intro sounds like ANOTHER Mobley tune.

It's the same intro as on Double Exposure on Hank Mobley (BLP-1568), but the tune is completely different.

I think that A-1 is too good a tune not to have been featured on a released album, but where then? Hmm...

[bertrand]

Yes, that's it - 'Double Exposure' has the same intro. That was fast!

As you said, the rest of the piece is different. But the same intro confirms that 'A-1' is a Mobley tune.

He may have recorded it elsewhere - the race is on to find it! But what I was going on is the identical intros; I don't know for sure if I heard 'A-1' elsewhere.

Mobley did re-use pieces under different titles a few times. Some examples:

'Kismet' = 'Straight Ahead' (12 years apart!)

'A Peck A Sec' = 'The Latest'

'East Of Brooklyn' = 'Night Watch'

He also wrote a tune called 'Blues Number Two' and recorded a song with the same title with Miles (and credited to Miles), but they are different songs. Why Miles recorded all standards with Mobley rather than play a few of his originals (not all of which are that complex), I'll never know.

Bertrand.

Edited January 2, 2006 by bertrand

[Dan Gould]

Mobley did re-use pieces under different titles a few times. Some examples:

'Kismet' = 'Straight Ahead' (12 years apart!)

'A Peck A Sec' = 'The Latest'

'East Of Brooklyn' = 'Night Watch'

Where do the latter three (alt. titles) appear? None of these alternate titles ring a bell ...

[bertrand]

'Straight Ahead' is from The Turnaround, and is the same tune as 'Kismet' from the Max Roach Debut album. 'The Latest' is from the Messages sessions on Prestige, and is the same as 'A Peck A Sec' from Hubbard's Goin' Up. 'Night Watch' is on the Messengers' Jazz Corner Of The World, with Shorter instead of Mobley. There are two tunes on this last date that Mobley never recorded himself: 'The Opener' and 'High Modes'. 'Night Watch' is almost the same as 'East Of Brooklyn' from Poppin'.

Bertrand.

Edited January 3, 2006 by bertrand

[Dan Gould]

Thanks.

[mikeweil]

Listened to A-1 earlier today - a Mobley original, obviously based on Get Happy changes. I don't know his 1950's tunes well enough to say if he recycled it, though.