Hank Mobley

Long underestimated, American saxophonist Hank Mobley finally left his mark on the course of hard bop with his distinctive, nonchalant and subtle sound. Born in Eastman, Georgia, on July 7, 1930, he grew up in New Jersey, where, with an operatic grandmother and a multi-instrumentalist uncle, he first taught himself the piano and then the saxophone. Joining Paul Gayten's rhythm'n'blues band at the age of 19, he was taken in hand by Max Roach, before accompanying Duke Ellington, Tadd Dameron and Dizzy Gillespie, then Horace Silver and Art Blakey in the Jazz Messengers at the end of 1954. His first album, Hank Mobley Quartet (1955), launched his career as a leader with Blue Note, soon followed by The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley (1956), Mobley's Message and Mobley's 2nd Message (1957), with Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean. The most prolific period saw the tenor saxophonist multiplying his formulas, in a sextet with Lee Morgan or in a quintet with the Messengers and Milt Jackson, between two concerts with Thelonious Monk at Birdland in New York or sessions in the Miles Davis quintet. With different musicians, he recorded a series of landmark albums, including Soul Station (1960), Roll Call (1961), Workout (1962), No Room for Squares (1964), The Turnaround! (1965), Dippin' (1966) and A Caddy for Daddy (1967), often rediscovered decades later through samples or recommendations. However, drug-related legal problems and poor health hampered his career, leading him to retire from the stage after a quintet session with Cedar Walton in 1972. The musician, who had briefly moved to Europe and worked with the AACM, returned to Philadelphia for lung surgery. Virtually forgotten and destitute, he accompanied Duke Jordan and singer Lodi Carr, before dying of pneumonia on May 30, 1986, at the age of 55. His legacy has since been reassessed by critics and jazz enthusiasts alike, and has given rise to numerous compilations and archive publications.