Hank Mobley - Dippin' (Blue Note Tone Poet Series)

Hank Mobley's Dippin' is headed for the Blue Note Tone Poet Series on 180-gram vinyl, a sunny 1966 hard bop session built for easy, repeated listening.

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in 1965 with Alfred Lion producing, Dippin' teams Mobley's warm, rounded tenor with Lee Morgan's bright trumpet, the latter still riding high on the success of The Sidewinder. Harold Mabern on piano, Larry Ridley on bass and Billy Higgins on drums complete a quintet that swings with relaxed confidence, and Mobley wrote four of the six tunes, each one built around a strong, singable theme.

The Dip opens with a funky, finger-snapping groove that sets the mood, and Recado Bossa Nova is one of the most memorable things Mobley ever recorded, a breezy Brazilian melody that the horns trade with effortless grace. I See Your Face Before Me slows things right down for a gorgeous ballad feature, while Ballin' closes the album with a crisp, swinging burst of energy that sends you straight back to side one.

Mobley was often called the middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone, and Dippin' shows why: never flashy, always melodic. Its place in the Tone Poet line is a fine excuse to hear it fresh.