AotW - Hank Mobley - Soul Station

[BillF]

I heard Mobley play in our home city, Richard, in the late sixties at a club owned by Manchester jazz promoter, Ernie Garside, which stood near the site of the present Shude Hill Metro station. Hank was accompanied by a local trio led by the very talented bop pianist, Joe Palin (recently passed away), who chose not to make it on the national scene. What I remember was the staggering beauty of Hank's tenor sound, something of which seemed to go all the way back to Lester. He was clearly high, giggled a lot and wouldn't stop playing in the interval when the trio went for a break. Records were put on, but he just kept on blowing along with them!

The new book mentions this gig - presumably at "Club 54" in 1968. Arranged by Pete King of Ronnie Scotts' Productions after Mobley's residency there.

Yes, 1968 sounds right.

[sidewinder]

Just checked the book. It was one month at Scott's in April 1968, then the trip to 'Club 43' (not '54' as I stated above) then off to Paris for 'Le Chat-Qui-Peche', amongst other places. 'Reach Out' was recorded in January, just before the European trip/sojourn.

[BillF]

Just checked the book. It was one month at Scott's in April 1968, then the trip to 'Club 43' (not '54' as I stated above) then off to Paris for 'Le Chat-Qui-Peche', amongst other places. 'Reach Out' was recorded in January, just before the European trip/sojourn.

Yes, Club 43 was the name of Garside's first jazz club - in Oxford Road, Manchester - and IIRC he kept the name for its successor, where I saw Mobley, in the now-disappeared Amber Street.

[bertrand]

How does Leon Mitchell fit in as A & R guy for Blue Note? Quebec and Pearson are always mentioned, but never Mitchell.

My understanding is that he is still active in Philly.

Bertrand.

[bertrand]

http://leonmitchell.com/

[BillF]

Just checked the book. It was one month at Scott's in April 1968, then the trip to 'Club 43' (not '54' as I stated above) then off to Paris for 'Le Chat-Qui-Peche', amongst other places. 'Reach Out' was recorded in January, just before the European trip/sojourn.

Yes, Club 43 was the name of Garside's first jazz club - in Oxford Road, Manchester - and IIRC he kept the name for its successor, where I saw Mobley, in the now-disappeared Amber Street.

A little more on this theme! Club 43 was originally located in a room in a pub called The Clarendon, which stood at 43, Oxford Road in Manchester's university district. I was a regular there around 1961 and I recall seeing the Tubby Hayes Quartet several times, with Terry Shannon on piano, Jeff Clyne on bass and Bill Eyden on drums. The acoustics and ventilation were dreadful, but at the age of 21 I didn't care. One story about this venue has got into print, in a recently published biography of Joe Harriott. Joe was calmly taking a cigarette break outside on the pavement while two women attacked each other violently. "Don't worry," said Joe to a fellow musician, "they're only fighting over me!"

The Clarendon was demolished to make way for the development of what is now Manchester Metropolitan University and the jazz scene then shifted to the other side of the inner city, to Amber Street, where Ernie Garside opened a club. By now we were into the era of visiting American artists and I saw the following accompanied by a local trio, usually with Joe Palin on piano: Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, Hank Mobley, Leo Wright and Carmell Jones. The only full American group I saw at the club was the Max Roach Quintet with Tommy Turrentine, Odean Pope, Stanley Cowell and Jymie Merritt. Max harangued the audience about the role of the English in African American slavery and drew attention to his musicians' English surnames. I missed the Archie Shepp group, but Ed Dipple (later of Mole Jazz) was there and IIRC told me the group included Roswell Rudd and Jimmy Garrison.

[sidewinder]

The only full American group I saw at the club was the Max Roach Quintet with Tommy Turrentine, Odean Pope, Stanley Cowell and Jymie Merritt. Max harangued the audience about the role of the English in African American slavery and drew attention to his musicians' English surnames.

Interesting ! There's a picture of this group at Ronnie Scotts in the 'Fourty Five Year Anniversary' book (one of Val Wilmer's I think) but with Charles Tolliver in place of Turrentine. That's one heck of a lineup of great artists you saw at the Ernie Garside place, BillF

[BillF]

The only full American group I saw at the club was the Max Roach Quintet with Tommy Turrentine, Odean Pope, Stanley Cowell and Jymie Merritt. Max harangued the audience about the role of the English in African American slavery and drew attention to his musicians' English surnames.

Interesting ! There's a picture of this group at Ronnie Scotts in the 'Fourty Five Year Anniversary' book (one of Val Wilmer's I think) but with Charles Tolliver in place of Turrentine. That's one heck of a lineup of great artists you saw at the Ernie Garside place, BillF

My apologies! It was Tolliver and not Turrentine. Perhaps for such ancient memories, I should use IIRC more often!

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

http://leonmitchell.com/

Struth!!!!! I've never HEARD of this guy! Though I do know songs like "Fine lil lass".

Thanks so much Bertrand!

MG

[JazzyRandy]

the AotW for the first two weeks of April will be Hank Mobley's Soul Station.

I'm late to this thread, but I wanted to say this is a great Mobley album. Not my favorite Mobley, but still a great album. "Dig Dis" is the star of the album for me, but "Remember", "This I Dig Of You", and "Soul Station" also get me going. I'd probably place this as my 4th favorite Mobley behind Workout, Roll Call, and Hi Voltage. In general, while I love the way he can dominate a quartet setting, I really love the way he plays off other horns (or Grant Green in the case of Workout.)

Edited April 13, 2008 by JazzyRandy

[TedR]

I can't recall who said they might upgrade to the RVG of SS. My advice is don't. I regret replacing my '87 or '88 CD with the RVG which compresses all the dynamics of the music away. One of the worst of the RVGs IMO.

[Late]

On 4/2/2008 at 8:03 AM, mikeweil said:

Hank still is the middleweight champion, at least among hard bop tenorists.

Yes.