A Slice of the Top
A Slice of the Top | ||||
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Studio album by Hank Mobley | ||||
Released | 1979 | |||
Recorded | March 18, 1966 | |||
Studio | Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Length | 38:39 | |||
Label | Blue Note LT 995 | |||
Producer | Alfred Lion | |||
Hank Mobley chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
1995 limited CD reissue | ||||
A Slice of the Top is an album by jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley, recorded in early 1966.[1] The album was not released on the Blue Note label until 1979. It features performances by Mobley with a larger than usual ensemble of trumpeter Lee Morgan, euphonium player Kiane Zawadi, tuba player Howard Johnson, alto saxophonist James Spaulding, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Bob Cranshaw, and drummer Billy Higgins. The arrangements were written by Duke Pearson. On the original LP, Reggie Workman was mistakenly identified on the sleeve as the bassist.
Composition and Release
Mobley composed the music for the album in 1964 while imprisoned for a narcotics offence. The sheet music was given to Duke Pearson to arrange while Mobley was incarcerated.[2]
Mobley was bitter about Blue Note delaying the release of the album until over a decade after it was recorded. In an interview, Mobley complained:
I have about five records on the shelf - Blue Note had half the black musicians around New York City, and now the records are just lying around. What they do is just hold it and wait for you to die.[3]
Reception
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow stated: "Mobley, who continued to evolve into a more advanced player throughout the 1960s, fits right in with such adventurous players as altoist James Spaulding, trumpeter Lee Morgan (with whom Mobley recorded frequently), pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Billy Higgins. The inclusion of Kiane Zawadi on euphonium and Howard Johnson on tuba adds a lot of color to this memorable outing."[4]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide | [5] |
Track listing
All compositions by Hank Mobley except as noted
- "Hank's Other Bag" – 7:12
- "There's a Lull In My Life" (Mack Gordon, Harry Revel) – 5:25
- "Cute 'N Pretty" – 7:36
- "A Touch of the Blues" – 8:46
- "A Slice of the Top" - 9:40
Personnel
- Hank Mobley - tenor saxophone
- James Spaulding - alto saxophone
- Lee Morgan - trumpet
- Kiane Zawadi - euphonium
- Howard Johnson - tuba
- McCoy Tyner - piano
- Bob Cranshaw - bass
- Billy Higgins - drums
References
- ^ Smith, Will (14 Jan 1996). "Blue Note Reissues Keep Coming". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 9.
- ^ Gilbreath, Aaron. "What Is and What Could Be: Hank Mobley, by Aaron Gilbreath | Conjunctions — The forum for innovative writing". www.conjunctions.com. Archived from the original on 2020-03-16. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ Brody, Richard. "The Haunted Jazz of Hank Mobley". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
- ^ a b Yanow, Scott. Hank Mobley: A Slice of the Top – Review at AllMusic. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 143. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- v
- t
- e
or co-leader
- Newark 1953 (1953 [2012])
- Hank Mobley Quartet (1955)
- The Jazz Message of Hank Mobley (1956)
- Mobley's Message (Prestige, 1956)
- Mobley's 2nd Message (Prestige, 1956)
- Jazz Message No. 2 (Savoy, 1956)
- Hank Mobley Sextet (1956)
- Hank Mobley and His All Stars (1957)
- Hank Mobley Quintet (1957)
- Hank (1957)
- Hank Mobley (1957)
- Curtain Call (1957)
- Poppin' (1957)
- Peckin' Time (1958)
- Monday Night at Birdland (1958)
- Another Monday Night at Birdland (1959)
- Soul Station (1960)
- Roll Call (1960)
- Workout (1961)
- Another Workout (1961)
- No Room for Squares (1963)
- Straight No Filter (1963–65)
- The Turnaround! (1964)
- Dippin' (1965)
- A Caddy for Daddy (1965)
- A Slice of the Top (1966)
- Far Away Lands (1967)
- Third Season (1967)
- Hi Voltage (1967)
- Reach Out! (1968)
- The Flip (1969)
- Thinking of Home (1970)
- Breakthrough! (1972)
others
- At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 1 (Art Blakey/The Jazz Messengers, 1955)
- At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 2 (Art Blakey/The Jazz Messengers, 1955)
- The Jazz Messengers (Art Blakey, 1956)
- Originally (Art Blakey/The Jazz Messengers, 1956 [1982])
- At the Jazz Corner of the World (Art Blakey/The Jazz Messengers, 1959)
- All Night Long (Kenny Burrell, 1956)
- K.B. Blues (1957 [1979])
- Byrd's Eye View (Donald Byrd, 1955)
- Byrd in Flight (Donald Byrd, 1960)
- A New Perspective (1963)
- Mustang! (Donald Byrd, 1966)
- Blackjack (Donald Byrd, 1967)
- Dial "S" for Sonny (Sonny Clark, 1957)
- My Conception (Sonny Clark, 1957)
- Someday My Prince Will Come (Miles Davis, 1961)
- In Person Friday and Saturday Nights
at the Blackhawk, Complete (Miles Davis, 1961) - Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall (1961)
- Afro-Cuban (Kenny Dorham, 1955)
- Whistle Stop (Kenny Dorham, 1961)
- This Is New (Kenny Drew, 1957)
- Undercurrent (Kenny Drew, 1960)
- Farmer's Market (Art Farmer, 1956)
- The Opener (Curtis Fuller, 1957)
- Sliding Easy (Curtis Fuller, 1959)
- Afro (Dizzy Gillespie, 1954)
- Dizzy and Strings (Dizzy Gillespie, 1954)
- Jazz Recital (Dizzy Gillespie, 1954–55)
- I Want to Hold Your Hand (Grant Green, 1965)
- A Blowin' Session (Johnny Griffin, 1957)
- My Point of View (Herbie Hancock, 1963)
- Informal Jazz (Elmo Hope, 1956)
- Goin' Up (Freddie Hubbard, 1960)
- Blue Spirits (Freddie Hubbard, 1965)
- The Eminent Jay Jay Johnson Volume 2 (1955)
- Together! (Elvin Jones and Philly Joe Jones, 1961)
- Midnight Walk (Elvin Jones, 1966)
- I Wanna Talk About You (Tete Montoliu, 1980)
- Introducing Lee Morgan (1956)
- Lee Morgan Sextet (1956)
- Cornbread (Lee Morgan, 1965)
- Charisma (1966)
- The Rajah (1966)
- Tenor Conclave (Prestige All Stars, 1957)
- Star Bright (Dizzy Reece, 1959)
- The Cool Voice of Rita Reys (1956)
- Good Move! (Freddie Roach 1963)
- The Max Roach Quartet featuring Hank Mobley (1953)
- Max Roach + 4 (1956)
- The Max Roach 4 Plays Charlie Parker (1957)
- MAX (Max Roach, 1958)
- Yasmina, a Black Woman (Archie Shepp, 1969)
- Poem for Malcolm (Archie Shepp, 1969)
- Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers (1954–55)
- Silver's Blue (Horace Silver, 1956)
- 6 Pieces of Silver (Horace Silver, 1956–58)
- The Stylings of Silver (Horace Silver, 1957)
- A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume One (1957)
- A Date with Jimmy Smith Volume Two (1957)
- Julius Watkins Sextet (1955)