Hippity Hop – Hank Mobley

Though a bit faster than some other songs with a similar rhythmic feel, The Hippity Hop is a great example of the medium funky even 8ths groove that is an essential part of the late '60s Blue Note sound. The rhythm section repeats a two-measure vamp through the A sections, which is set up in an eight-measure intro; the rhythm of this vamp, which is played by both piano and bass, is shown in all lead sheets with the top note of the piano voicing. The bridge has a slightly different rhythmic pattern in the bass.

The opening melody phrase, a one-measure pickup, is built from an unusual scale: harmonic major, with a flat 6th (G♭) and major 7th (A♮). The G♭ really comes from an A♭7 chord, as the A section changes alternate two measures each of B♭7 and A♭7. In the bridge, the chord motion is stepwise from G♭7 up to B♭7 and back down to F7.

On the recording the horns play in octaves, except on the last two measures of the bridge where they harmonize tritones, alternating the root and flat 5th of F7. These harmonies are shown in all lead sheets instead of having first and second parts.

The pickup to the melody is a full measure long, but we put the D.S. on the last measure of the melody, instead of one measure earlier, to make the form clear for the solos. This pickup is played in the last measure of the last solo chorus.