Soul Station

Mobley is chronically undervalued next to his contemporaries and this is the album that makes the strongest case for him — the playing has a conversational warmth that never sacrifices swing, and Art Blakey's drumming behind him gives the whole thing a physical momentum. 'This I Dig of You' and 'Dig Dis' both showcase how his tone and phrasing sat in a pocket between Coltrane's intensity and the cooler West Coast players. Blue Note in 1960 was producing records at an extraordinary rate and this one got a little lost in the catalog shuffle.

Filed underhard bopBlue Notesaxophone60s jazz