Hank Mobley - The Feelin's Good

[Tom 1960]

I just came across this article over at AAJ. I thought folks here might be interested? I'll provide the link:

http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=44267

[robertoart]

ummmm.....some Music Matters revisionism. Must be time to start expanding. Remastering must be limiting.

What does Chewy think?

Are they going to start getting their mitts into the 'unreleased stuff' now perhaps?

Next up....The Trainwreck - 'What was Alfred Lion thinking'?

Edited March 31, 2013 by freelancer

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

All this material HAS been released on LP & CD. This is just putting it all together. A worthy thing to do but I could just shuffle my Mobley rips around on the hard drive and get a digital version. So, no real point in BN issuing a CD, I'd guess.

They've done a LOVELY job on the sleeve, I will say.

MG

[J.A.W.]

Blue Note released the same tracks on one CD (Straight No Filter) in 1989.

3 CDs with the following sessions were released (transferred by Ron McMaster):

Straight No Filter - Blue Note 84435 (1989)

Recorded on June 17, 1966 with

Lee Morgan - trumpet

Hank Mobley - tenor saxophone

McCoy Tyner - piano

Bob Cranshaw - bass

Billy Higgins - drums

Tracks:

Straight No Filter

Chain Reaction

Soft Impressions

Recorded on March 7, 1963 with

Donald Byrd - trumpet

Hank Mobley - tenor saxophone

Herbie Hancock - piano

Butch Warren - bass

Philly Joe Jones - drums

Tracks:

Old World, New Imports

Up a Step

The Feelin's Good

East of the Village

Yes Indeed

The Good Life

No Room for Squares - Blue Note 84149 (1989)

Recorded on October 2, 1963 with

Lee Morgan - trumpet

Hank Mobley - tenor saxophone

Andrew Hill - piano

John Ore - bass

Philly Joe Jones - drums

Tracks:

No Room for Squares

No Room for Squares (alternate take)

Three Way Split

Comin' Back

Me 'n You

Carolyn (alternate take)

Carolyn

Syrup and Biscuits

The Turnaround - Blue Note 84186 (1989)

Recorded on February 4, 1965 with

Freddie Hubbard - trumpet

Hank Mobley - tenor saxophone

Barry Harris - piano

Paul Chambers - bass

Billy Higgins - drums

Tracks:

Pat 'n Chat

Third Time Around

Hank's Waltz

The Turnaround

Straight Ahead

My Sin

The 3 titles were later reissued by Blue Note with different track sequences, similar to the original 12" LPs.

Edited March 31, 2013 by J.A.W.

[king ubu]

That's some nice music, of course ... but I'd really rather be in to hear some trainwrecks (or to get a CD or LP reissue of Tyrone Washington's real one!) than to buy this stuff again.

As for the cover: the type used is definitely wrong for the period. To me it looks like a re-creation of the (good!) Roques sleeves of roughly ten years back. Re-creation of re-creation ... true post-modernism, only a couple o'decades late

[mjzee]

Regarding the MM cover, Reid Miles would have listed the other musicians there.

[mikeweil]

I had some of the LPs (icl. Straight No Filter) but these sessions come across much better in performance order, and there are no weak tracks. God knows what conwinced Alfred Lion to release them in such a scattered pattern.

For those preferring all that music on vinyl, it is a great completist item, of course.

[CJ Shearn]

Yeah, that was a strange review, truthfully the guy maybe really didn't know. I kick myself for passing up copies of "Straight No Filter" in it's Conn edition years ago, and "The Turnaround" was at the local record store where I got the RVG of "No Room", I went back to get the RVG of "Turnaround" and it was gone.

[J.A.W.]

I had some of the LPs (icl. Straight No Filter) but these sessions come across much better in performance order, and there are no weak tracks. God knows what conwinced Alfred Lion to release them in such a scattered pattern.

For those preferring all that music on vinyl, it is a great completist item, of course.

The 3 McMaster CDs from 1989 that I listed above were the ones with the sessions in recorded order. I don't know about the RVGs.

[CJ Shearn]

The RVG's were issued the same way "The Sermon" and "Houseparty" RVG's were.

[J.A.W.]

The RVG's were issued the same way "The Sermon" and "Houseparty" RVG's were.

Meaning? I don't have those discs.

[CJ Shearn]

Same order as the original LP's and for those albums, I prefer that. Those albums are such a part of my formative listening habits. I still have the original "Houseparty" CD and I gave the McMaster of "The Sermon" to a professor of mine because he really really dug it so much. The sound on those IMO, way better on the RVG's than the McMasters, they are ones Rudy got right.

[J.A.W.]

Same order as the original LP's and for those albums, I prefer that. Those albums are such a part of my formative listening habits. I still have the original "Houseparty" CD and I gave the McMaster of "The Sermon" to a professor of mine because he really really dug it so much. The sound on those IMO, way better on the RVG's than the McMasters, they are ones Rudy got right.

Thanks for the explanation. It's a whole different world from mine, both musically and sonically I hasten to add that I haven't heard those particular RVGs, though, so I can't comment on their sound. Edited March 31, 2013 by J.A.W.

[mikeweil]

The 3 McMaster CDs from 1989 that I listed above were the ones with the sessions in recorded order. I don't know about the RVGs.

The RVGs were based on the 1960's LPs and added some bonus tracks. To reissue the Straight No Filter 3 track session they created a new limited CD with the leftovers.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I prefer the "No Room For Squares", "The Turnaround" and "Straight No Filter" in session order, like the original CDs from the 80s/early 90s. When I picked original LPs, the change in pianists was noticeable to my ears.

The 3 McMaster CDs from 1989 that I listed above were the ones with the sessions in recorded order. I don't know about the RVGs.

The RVGs were based on the 1960's LPs and added some bonus tracks. To reissue the Straight No Filter 3 track session they created a new limited CD with the leftovers.

If you're talking about the Connoisseur CD, they duplicated the original 1986 LP track order, which was issued to get all of the unissued tracks from "No Room For Squares" and "The Turnaround" out. It had 3 different bands/pianists on it.

Edited March 31, 2013 by Kevin Bresnahan

[J.A.W.]

I prefer the "No Room For Squares", "The Turnaround" and "Straight No Filter" in session order, like the original CDs from the 80s/early 90s.

That's also my preferred way of listening, in all cases I can think of. When I got the 1989 Mobley McMasters I listed above I was a happy camper. Never liked the original LP sequencing.

[CJ Shearn]

Same order as the original LP's and for those albums, I prefer that. Those albums are such a part of my formative listening habits. I still have the original "Houseparty" CD and I gave the McMaster of "The Sermon" to a professor of mine because he really really dug it so much. The sound on those IMO, way better on the RVG's than the McMasters, they are ones Rudy got right.

Thanks for the explanation. It's a whole different world from mine, both musically and sonically I hasten to add that I haven't heard those particular RVGs, though, so I can't comment on their sound.

Same order as the original LP's and for those albums, I prefer that. Those albums are such a part of my formative listening habits. I still have the original "Houseparty" CD and I gave the McMaster of "The Sermon" to a professor of mine because he really really dug it so much. The sound on those IMO, way better on the RVG's than the McMasters, they are ones Rudy got right.

Thanks for the explanation. It's a whole different world from mine, both musically and sonically I hasten to add that I haven't heard those particular RVGs, though, so I can't comment on their sound.

You have a way better system than I do, you probably hear way more true representations of different masterings on your system. I have a very mid end system. Though I use the Audio Technica headphones they use in studios for recording and monitoring. Jim mixed "In Memorandom" on a similar set of cans to mine, the next model up. Those headphones reveal many details and they are flat frequency across the board.

[J.A.W.]

Same order as the original LP's and for those albums, I prefer that. Those albums are such a part of my formative listening habits. I still have the original "Houseparty" CD and I gave the McMaster of "The Sermon" to a professor of mine because he really really dug it so much. The sound on those IMO, way better on the RVG's than the McMasters, they are ones Rudy got right.

Thanks for the explanation. It's a whole different world from mine, both musically and sonically I hasten to add that I haven't heard those particular RVGs, though, so I can't comment on their sound.

You have a way better system than I do, you probably hear way more true representations of different masterings on your system. I have a very mid end system. Though I use the Audio Technica headphones they use in studios for recording and monitoring. Jim mixed "In Memorandom" on a similar set of cans to mine, the next model up. Those headphones reveal many details and they are flat frequency across the board.I don't know, I really can't answer that.

I got involved in too many "audio fights" (and RVG discussions) on this board, the last one only recently, so I'd rather not go into specifics. It's all very personal and, like religion and politics, it's a hazardous topic

Edited March 31, 2013 by J.A.W.

[CJ Shearn]

I agree, the Hoffman forums get insane about that. I do lurk for opinions there though

[J.A.W.]

I agree, the Hoffman forums get insane about that. I do lurk for opinions there though

I was referring to this board, not the Hoffman board. It may sound strange, but I never got involved in an audio fight over there like I did here, at least not that I can remember. Edited March 31, 2013 by J.A.W.

[mikeweil]

The McMasters sound good enough for my ears. I had a 1970's Japanese LP pressing of The Turnaround which sounded flat in comparison.

Some statements (I'm not adressing any board member here) about remastering and/or LP track sequence border on fetishism, IMHO. But to each his own ...

[CJ Shearn]

Yeah Mike, it's definitely true. I've tried to focus on the music these days above anything else.

[mikeweil]

Those Lp track order and sound issues are all the more embarassing as the three sessions were a real Turnaround in Mobley'a career - he had gotten himself together again, had found a slightly harder sound but kept his intricate rhythms and phrasing intact, wrote great new tunes, and assembled great sidemen - to me they are among the best he ever did. The rhythm sections alone are worth hearing!

[CJ Shearn]

Of the three albums I only have "Squares", but the combination of Mobley and Andrew Hill with Hank being the more conventional, is very interesting.

[robertoart]

Well this is the first time Music Matters have actually 'compiled' their own album. They have intervened into the official story before, by ignoring the first issue Japanese release covers and re-presenting their own version. I guess it raises questions about how people see the 'authenticity' of the history, warts and all. They did this with Grant Green's Matador and Solid plus others I believe. Contemporary Blue Note retained the Japanese Matador cover for its cd, but re-designed Solid, as Solid was first released during the 'obtuse album cover' re-issue series. Music Matters by-passed these covers, and seem to have a position that if a session was first released post 60's, the presentation is 'up for grabs'. This is not to deny the beauty of their product however.

What I feel is a shame, is they are definitely making critical choices about what part of the labels legacy they are prepared to represent. So this is not a scholarly re-evaluation like Mosaic, but one driven by the tastes of the label owners.

For instance, while we get a nice packaging of this Mobley session, a more considered choice like the John Patton session with George Coleman, which was 'never' heard in the day, and subsequently spread across two Rare Groove re-issues, will never be considered by a label like this - that essentially has both eyes on the 'Rock listening' audiophiles with deep pockets - who like Kind Of Blue.

There is an element of boutique vinyl 'mix tape' mentality about the label, who essentially have become the only game in town. So how far are they prepared to go for the music? Will they push to release some of the last few unreleased sessions, or will they over ride their own biases and attempt to present more of the whole story, including some historically important Free-er stuff and some Soul Jazz. I bet when they get down to that stuff, they'll close the bank account and open up negotiations about other archival labels.