Poppin'

Recorded at the original Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey, on 20th October 1957. Recorded in 1957 but not originally released until 1980. Classic hard-bop album from a Blue Note tenor legend. Featuring the famous Miles Davis rhythm section of Paul Chambers (bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums), plus BN legend Sonny Clark (piano), Art Farmer (trumpet) and Pepper Adams (baritone sax). Showcases fine Mobley originals (the zippy title track, Gettin’ Into Something, East Of Brooklyn), plus Miles Davis’s Tune Up and a powerful take on the standard Darn That Dream. Produced by Alfred Lion. Liner notes by Lawrence Kart.

Hank Mobley was famously called the “middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone” with a round sound and an incredible rhythmic lightness on his feet that won the admiration of legions of tenor saxophone players. This remarkable session from 1957 somehow was left on the shelf in the rush of Blue Note releases that year.