No Room For Squares (Uk)

Of all the great tenor players of the modern era, the lyrical, round-toned and rhythmically sophisticated Hank Mobley remains the most consistently--and unfairly--underrated. Reissued with alternate takes of the title track and trumpeter Lee Morgan's lovely ballad "Carolyn," No Room for Squares features Mobley with two groups, both recorded in 1963. The majority of the tracks put Mobley together with Morgan, Andrew Hill (piano), John Ore (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums), while "Up a Step" and "Old World, New Imports" match old sparring partners Mobley and Jones with Donald Byrd (trumpet), Herbie Hancock (piano), and Butch Warren (bass). While No Room is not quite on the same level as Mobley's classic Soul Station and Workout albums of a couple of years earlier, there's plenty to relish in its 55 minutes, including the overall quality of Mobley's compositions and the contrast between the rubato soulfulness of Morgan's "Carolyn" and the funky riff which fires his other featured composition, the sexy "Me 'N You." Hancock has a couple of exciting, beautifully balanced outings, while Hill (soon to record more avant-garde fare on Blue Note) offers both adroit comping and several well-turned solos. As for Mobley, just listen to the perfectly sprung blend of soulful lyricism and diverse rhythmic assertiveness that distinguishes his work on both takes of the modal, medium-up title track. His solos can be spoken of in the same breath as the finest by Armstrong, Young, or Parker.