Up, Over And Out – Hank Mobley
This swinging 16-measure "blues" is a classic example of Hank's later style.
- Recording: Hank Mobley - Reach Out!
- Recorded on: January 19, 1968
- Label: Blue Note (BST 84288)
- Concert Key: F minor
- Style: Swing (uptempo)
- Trumpet - Woody Shaw
- Tenor Sax - Hank Mobley
- Guitar - George Benson
- Piano - Lamont Johnson
- Bass - Bob Cranshaw
- Drums - Billy Higgins
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This swinging 16-bar song is idiomatic of later '60s hard bop. It could be called a 16-measure blues because the IV chord appears in the ninth measure, after eight measures of the tonic. The melody is almost entirely pentatonic, and begins with an ascending line as the title implies.
Our audio excerpt starts with the intro: another great Mobley two-measure rhythm section vamp figure, which also continues under the first eight measures of the melody. These figures are a "clave" pattern shifted over by one eighth note. To set off the first soloist, Hank wrote a swinging two-horn line while the rhythm section continues their two-measure figure. On the recording, Hank only uses this interlude to set of the first soloist, and for eight-measure exchanges with drums. The interlude can also be used to start any soloist. Both original horn parts are in all editions, so if you are playing it in a quartet format, the piano (or guitar) also play the bottom original horn part.
As you hear, this piece creates a lot of energy and excitement, making it a great set closer, or, if you really want to get your audience's attention, use it as a set opener.
Our audio excerpt starts with the intro: another great Mobley two-measure rhythm section vamp figure, which also continues under the first eight measures of the melody. These figures are a "clave" pattern shifted over by one eighth note. To set off the first soloist, Hank wrote a swinging two-horn line while the rhythm section continues their two-measure figure. On the recording, Hank only uses this interlude to set of the first soloist, and for eight-measure exchanges with drums. The interlude can also be used to start any soloist. Both original horn parts are in all editions, so if you are playing it in a quartet format, the piano (or guitar) also play the bottom original horn part.
As you hear, this piece creates a lot of energy and excitement, making it a great set closer, or, if you really want to get your audience's attention, use it as a set opener.
"Reach Out" was Hank Mobley's third to last Blue Note album. The unlikely horn combination of Mobley and Woody Shaw also appeared on the last Blue Note recording under the former's leadership, "Thinking Of Home." The "Reach Out" session is also the only recording that either horn player did with George Benson, though Woody and George were both guests on Dexter Gordon's 1980 album "Gotham City."
George Benson contributes extra drive to this arrangement by playing the top note of the piano voicings in the repeating 2-measure rhythm section hits as indicated. While the piano continues as the primary accompanist for the B section, George contributes some tastefully considered chordal stabs. After solos, he plays the same intro figure alongside the rhythm section as an interlude, trading eights with drummer Billy Higgins before the band takes the head out.
Just a few weeks after this Hank Mobley session, George Benson recorded with Larry Young on the organist's album "Heaven and Earth." To get a sense of Benson's immense range as a sideman, listen to Call Me from this album—an energetic, lurching bossa. While his comping here is much more dense and active than on Up, Over and Out, where he contributes mostly single note lines to supplement the piano voicings, he never fails to blend seamlessly with the rest of the band.
Just a few weeks after this Hank Mobley session, George Benson recorded with Larry Young on the organist's album "Heaven and Earth." To get a sense of Benson's immense range as a sideman, listen to Call Me from this album—an energetic, lurching bossa. While his comping here is much more dense and active than on Up, Over and Out, where he contributes mostly single note lines to supplement the piano voicings, he never fails to blend seamlessly with the rest of the band.
Hank Mobley
July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986
Hank Mobley is one of the most acclaimed tenor saxophonists in modern jazz history. He is recognized by musicians and critics alike as one of the most important and eloquent jazz instrumentalists of all time. He recorded well over 100 of his own original compositions and left an indelible mark on the post-bop jazz scene. Read more...