Sealed Hank Mobley - Workout Blue Note new - see pic

This is one of the best-known Hank Mobley recordings, and for good reason. Although none of his four originals ("Workout," "Uh Huh," "Smokin'," "Greasin' Easy") caught on, the fine saxophonist is in top form. He jams on the four tunes, plus "The Best Things in Life Are Free," with an all-star quintet of young modernists -- guitarist Grant Green, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones -- and shows that he was a much stronger player than his then-current boss Miles Davis seemed to think.

This recommended CD reissue adds a version of "Three Coins in the Fountain" from the same date, originally released on Another Workout, to the original LP program.

Track Listing:

1 Workout
2 Uh Huh
3 Smokin'
4 The Best Things in Life Are Free
5 Greasin' Easy
6 Three Coins in the Fountain

The Quintet:

Hank Mobley Sax (Tenor)
Paul Chambers Bass
Grant Green Guitar
Philly Joe Jones Drums
Wynton Kelly Piano

Alfred Lion Producer

Rudy Van Gelder Engineer

Recorded originally 1961 on the Blue Note Label, this is the CD issue from 2006.

There are three Hank Mobley albums, in my opinion, that stand above the rest (even though the rest are generally good). These are Soul Station, Workout and Roll Call.

Workout is the ultimate Mobley jam session. Mobley's melodies, as usual, are outstanding, and his solos, while not groundbreaking, are wonderful. The addition of Grant Green's guitar is great on this album, particularly his performance on Uh-Huh.

Uh-Huh is my favorite song on here. A great hook, and I can't decide which solo is my favorite, from Hank to Green to Wynton Kelly on piano. The title track is filled with energy, including some great work by Philly Joe Jones on drum. Smokin' is another good song that sounds like something you'd hear at a great live show at a jazz club. Best Things In Life Are Free is a typical Mobley cover in that it's beautifully melodic and avoids the trappings of trying to be so unique that it loses its essence -- it's much like If I Should Lose You from Soul Station in that regard.

I could go on all day about Mobley, whom I consider to be woefully underappreciated. We all know how great Coltrane and Miles were, but it's not fair to downgrade Mobley because he didn't delve into avant-garde madness like Trane or repeatedly reinvent himself over the course of 30 years like Davis. For 10-15 years, Mobley continuously released quality, easy-and-fun-to-listen-to jazz albums, and this is among his three best.

Sealed issue of this great album.

All come with jewel case, liner booklet and the CD disc itself.

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