Hank Mobley: Thinking of Home

The great jazz critic Leonard Feather once described Hank Mobley as the middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone. Not a name that the novice jazz fan may recognize, Hank Mobley recorded over twenty LPs for Blue Note. Thinking of Home is his last title for Blue Note; released in 1970, this is a fitting farewell session. It features the powerful trumpet playing of Woody Shaw and the exciting pianist Cedar Walton. Hank Mobley's playing has a fire that ought to remind you of the Jazz Messengers, as it should since he was one of the original members of the group.

The opening number is a three part suite; this is significant because it is the only such piece Mobley ever recorded. "Justine," the second tune on the CD, starts off strong but loses some of its stream over the thirteen minute duration. The third number is "You Gotta Hit It," a hard bop cooker highlighting Mobley's playing and writing skills.

Thinking of Home should remind diehard jazz fans (and enlighten those newer to the genre) that Mobley was an innovative and stimulating tenor saxophonist who consistently swung.