Hank Mobley - No Room For Squares (2023 Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series Vinyl LP)

Hank Mobley - No Room For Squares | Vinyl LP - 2023 Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series (180g, Kevin Gray/Cohearent Audio, Optimal Media GmbH)

• Hank Mobley's 1963 Blue Note recording drawn from two sessions with two completely different quintets: the March session brings Donald Byrd on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano and Butch Warren on bass; the October session substitutes Lee Morgan, Andrew Hill and John Ore — Philly Joe Jones on drums throughout both
• Six originals by Mobley and Lee Morgan, including Morgan's tender ballad "Carolyn" and the hard-driving "Me 'N You"; Andrew Hill's angular piano comping and Hancock's more open harmonic approach give the two sessions a noticeably different character across the same LP
• One of Reid Miles's most celebrated Blue Note cover designs, applied to one of Mobley's most consistently strong recordings as a bandleader and composer
• 2023 Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series, mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, pressed at Optimal Media GmbH on 180g vinyl

Hank Mobley recorded No Room For Squares across two Blue Note sessions in 1963, six months apart at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs. The two dates used entirely different personnel beyond Mobley himself and drummer Philly Joe Jones. On 7 March, Mobley brought Donald Byrd on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano and Butch Warren on bass; the two tracks from this session — "Up A Step" and "Old World, New Imports" — appear as A3 and B3. On 2 October, the quintet was rebuilt with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Andrew Hill on piano and John Ore on bass, producing the four tracks that bracket them. Alfred Lion produced both sessions; Rudy Van Gelder engineered.

The split generates a useful contrast. Hancock's piano provides harmonic clarity and a looser, post-bop flow; Hill's comping is more angular and modal. Morgan and Byrd are similarly distinct — Morgan brings a more lyrical directness, Byrd a cooler precision. Mobley's tenor is a consistent presence across both, rolling and unhurried. Of the six compositions, four are Mobley originals ("Three Way Split," "Up A Step," "No Room For Squares," "Old World, New Imports") and two are Morgan's: the ballad "Carolyn," one of the more touching things Morgan wrote, and the funky, driving "Me 'N You." Alfred Lion had the cover designed by Reid Miles — one of the most widely reproduced of the Blue Note cover designs. The album was originally released in May 1964. This 2023 Classic Vinyl Series pressing is mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed at Optimal Media GmbH on 180g vinyl.