Roll Call, part of a streak of timeless classics from tenor saxophone master Hank Mobley, is about to join Blue Note’s Classic Vinyl Series. The 1960 LP will be reissued May 16, nearly 65 years after its original release, presenting another stellar document of the self-taught phenom from New Jersey.
Mobley put out Roll Call directly after 1960’s Soul Station, the hard bop workout often cited as his career best. True to its name, Roll Call credits Mobley’s backing band one by one on the album cover: drummer Art Blakey of Jazz Messengers fame, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, pianist Wynton Kelly, and bassist Paul Chambers. From the Latin-tinged title track to the hard-swinging conclusion “The Breakdown,” the band keeps up the vibrant momentum from Mobley’s previous platter, cohering into a fluid, formidable unit.
“Mobley’s performance throughout the recording is stylish without being restrained,” Stacia Proefrock wrote at AllMusic Guide, “and the strength of his songwriting shines on five of the album’s six songs.” Critic Steve Marshall also once weighed in, noting, “All of the solos are played beautifully–there are no unnecessary notes at all,” and, “this record excels in terms of sonic detail, the feeling of ‘being there.’” Marshall’s main takeaway: “Like most of his Blue Note material, Roll Call is an excellent jazz date.”
The Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition of Roll Call is stereo, all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal in Germany. The series is curated by Don Was and Cem Kurosman with an eye toward exploring Blue Note’s extensive catalog, an archive that stretches across decades and styles.
