Hank Mobley-Soul Station (1960)

Unfairly overshadowed by contemporary musicians like saxophonists Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz, and John Coltrane, Hank Mobley was another of the great legends of hard bop and jazz soul. While not a mere innovator or pioneer, his career was remarkably prolific, releasing formidable albums for Blue Note Records between 1955 and 1970. His style, distinct from Coltrane's aggressive sound or Stan Getz's subtlety, was relaxed, delicate, and melodic. For Blue Note, he recorded some of the finest jazz albums, such as "Soul Station" and "Roll Call", albums of great musical and jazz solidity. In "Soul Station" (1960), Mobley surrounded himself with some of the great musicians of his time such as Art Blakey, Wynton Kelly or Paul Chambers, offering a masterclass in jazz starting with the anthological "I Remember" or the formidable "Dig Dis" and "If I Should Lose You", in which this talented musician also showed his tremendous ability to compose exquisite pieces of the best hard bop in history.