Early Morning Stroll – Hank Mobley

A later Hank Mobley song that deserves wider recognition. With a concise 16-measure form, a swinging and singable melody, and an uncluttered chord progression, Early Morning Stroll is a delight to play and solo on. The simplicity of the melody makes it a great choice for beginning players, but everyone can really have fun with this song.

The changes are logical but unique, with no II-V7 movement: eight measures of C7 followed by sequences of minor thirds, rising in minor chords and descending in dominant 7♯9 chords to the final Gm9. The opening C7 chord feels like the tonic, and soloists often imply a G minor tonality here; we show Gm below the staff here as an optional alternate chord.

The phrasing is slightly different in the two recordings, so we have lead sheets that reflect each version (which are also the first parts in their respective arrangements). In this first recording the melody phrases in the first and third measures are cut off at the next downbeat. There's a slight slide between the long notes in the 13th and 14th measures. The last melody note is anticipated by an eighth note tied over into the second to last measure.

About the arrangement: A Concert Condensed Score and horn parts are available for the sextet arrangement. In both this and the "Breakthrough" quintet recording, the horns play in octaves in the first half of the head (the A section) and harmonize in the second half (B). On the recorded sextet arrangement, the horn lines actually cross: the tenor sax begins the B section in the middle of the voicings, above the trombone, while in the second half of this section the trombone notes are above the tenor. We have decided not to include "as recorded" parts and instead present second and third parts that stay on the middle and bottom notes, respectively, throughout the B section.

A little faster with a lighter feel in the rhythm section, this quintet version has slightly different phrasing from the original sextet recording. The last notes of the A section melody phrases are tied over the barline, with no rest at the beginning of the second measure. There's no slide between the 13th and 14th measures, and the last note is on the downbeat. This note is cut off on beat 3 of the last measure on the first time through the head, but on the repeat it's held out through the end of the measure. All these differences are shown in our lead sheets, which are also the first parts for the quintet arrangement.

About the arrangement: We have a Concert Condensed Score and second parts reflecting this version. The B section is voiced in thirds and fourths. The second part has the 7ths of the ascending minor chords, which are not a part of the voicing in "The Flip" sextet arrangement.