Soul Station

Not to be confused with Seoul Station.

Soul Station is an album by American jazz saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded on February 7, 1960, and released on Blue Note later that year. Mobley's quartet features rhythm section Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers and Art Blakey.

Soul Station
Studio album by Hank Mobley
Released	Early October 1960[1]
Recorded	February 7, 1960
Studio	Van Gelder Studio Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Genre	Hard bop
Length	37:23
Label	Blue Note BLP 4031
Producer	Alfred Lion
Hank Mobley chronology
Another Monday Night at Birdland (1959) Soul Station (1960) Roll Call (1960)

Background

Recording

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio and rooted in the hard bop style, Mobley's quartet features Art Blakey (his past bandleader in the Jazz Messengers), and two bandmates from his time in the Miles Davis Quintet, Wynton Kelly and Paul Chambers.

Composition

The album's bookends are two standards, "Remember" by Irving Berlin and "If I Should Lose You" by Ralph Rainger and Leo Robin. Between these standards are four new Mobley compositions, featuring the bluesy title track and the uptempo "This I Dig of You".

Liner notes

In the liner notes to the Rudy Van Gelder CD edition, jazz critic Bob Blumenthal explains how the album is understood to be, for Mobley, what Saxophone Colossus or Giant Steps were for Sonny Rollins or John Coltrane respectively. Blumenthal goes on to describe the recording as "one of the finest programs of music on Blue Note or any other label."^[2]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
DownBeat	[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[5]
The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide	[6]

AllMusic reviewer Stacia Proefrock concluded: "Overall, this is a stellar set from one of the more underrated musicians of the bop era."^[3]

Pete Welding of DownBeat praised the album, calling it "a well-balanced and tasty blowing session that benefits from thoughtful preparation, [and which] finds the tenor saxophonist fronting a quartet composed of three of the finest rhythm men in the business."^[4]

Track listing

All compositions by Hank Mobley, except where noted.

Side 1

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Remember"	Irving Berlin	5:41
2.	"This I Dig of You"		6:25
3.	"Dig Dis"		6:08

Side 2

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Split Feelin's"		4:55
2.	"Soul Station"		9:06
3.	"If I Should Lose You"	Ralph Rainger Leo Robin	5:08

Personnel

Musicians

• Hank Mobley – tenor saxophone
• Wynton Kelly – piano
• Paul Chambers – bass
• Art Blakey – drums

Technical personnel

• Alfred Lion – producer
• Rudy Van Gelder – recording engineer, mastering
• Reid Miles – cover design
• Francis Wolff – photography
• Joe Goldberg – liner notes

Charts

Chart performance for Soul Station

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Swedish Vinyl Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[7]	5