28 Facts About Hank Mobley

Henry Mobley was an American tenor saxophonist and composer.

Hank Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone, that was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as mellow as Lester Young, and his style that was laid-back, subtle and melodic, especially in contrast with players such as Coltrane and Sonny Rollins.

Hank Mobley was born in Eastman, Georgia, but was raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, near Newark.

Hank Mobley described himself as coming from a musical family and spoke of his uncle playing in a jazz band.

Hank Mobley tried to enter a music school in Newark but wasn't accepted since he wasn't a resident, so he taught himself theory and harmony from books that his grandmother bought for him, while teaching himself to play the tenor saxophone.

When Charlie Parker heard Hank Mobley's playing, he advised the young musician to take more influence from blues music.

Hank Mobley later appeared on two Roach sessions recorded in 1957 and 1958 for EmArcy records.

Hank Mobley was in The Jazz Messengers for the recording of the live album At the Cafe Bohemia, and he appeared on the Columbia Records studio album The Jazz Messengers.

Hank Mobley worked for brief periods with Blakey a few years later, rejoining the drummer's band in the spring and summer of 1959.

Hank Mobley hired Blakey to play on two of his Blue Note solo albums recorded in 1960.

Hank Mobley recorded steadily during the second half of the 1950s for Blue Note records, a series of albums which featured him with Lee Morgan, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Kenny Dorham, Jackie McLean, Pepper Adams, Milt Jackson, Sonny Clark, Bobby Timmons, Herbie Hancock, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones, among others.

In 1958, Hank Mobley was a sideman on Max Roach's album The Max Roach 4 Plays Charlie Parker, playing on three tracks.

Hank Mobley was with the Jazz Messengers during the Newport Jazz Festival that summer, but soon after left the band and was replaced by Wayne Shorter.

Hank Mobley was briefly a member of the Miles Davis band in 1961, during the period when Davis was searching for a tenor saxophone player to permanently replace John Coltrane.

Hank Mobley is heard on the album Someday My Prince Will Come, and the live recordings In Person: Live at the Blackhawk and At Carnegie Hall.

JazzTimes noted that around the time he played with Davis, Hank Mobley "retooled his sound" from a lighter to a harder-edged tone.

In 1961, Hank Mobley recorded two of his own albums, Workout and Another Workout, although Another Workout was not released until 1985.

Hank Mobley rehearsed extensively before his 1960s Blue Note recordings, typically twice during the week preceding a Saturday studio session, with Blue Note paying for the rehearsals and recordings.

Hank Mobley recorded No Room for Squares in 1964, featuring trumpeters Donald Byrd and Lee Morgan, with DownBeat remarking that on the album Hank Mobley "conveyed quiet authority", and followed a year later with A Caddy for Daddy.

In 1964, while serving a prison sentence for narcotics possession, Hank Mobley wrote songs that were later recorded for the album A Slice of the Top.

The popularity of Hank Mobley's albums decreased during the mid-1960s, though he continued to record regularly this period.

Scott Yanow noted that Hank Mobley's career was about to "eclipse" following this record date.

Hank Mobley gave a speech at the Blue Note Town Hall concert in 1985.

Hank Mobley became addicted to heroin in the late 1950s, and in 1958 was imprisoned.

Hank Mobley continued to struggle with his drug addiction during the 1960s.

Hank Mobley had problems with homelessness in his later years and struggled to stay in touch with his fellow musicians.

Hank Mobley died of pneumonia in 1986, aged 55, having suffered from lung cancer.

Mosaic Records released two multidisc compilations of Hank Mobley's Blue Note recordings.