November 2025
Savoy Records / Craft Recordings—CR00867
Format: LP
Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment
Saxophonist Hank Mobley recorded so extensively as a bandleader for Blue Note Records that it’s easy to think he defined the label, or that it defined him. Considering that he also appeared as a sideman on many other Blue Note recordings, those are fair assumptions. However, he did record for other labels, especially at the beginning of his career. Two albums appeared on Prestige Records in 1957, and two on Savoy Records: one in 1956, and one in 1957.
Those four recordings were done at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio in Hackensack, New Jersey, the same studio where Mobley recorded his early Blue Notes. Jazz Message #2, Mobley’s second release for Savoy, combined two sessions from 1956.
The first session, recorded in July, featured Lee Morgan on trumpet, Hank Jones on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. The second session, from November, retained Watkins, but the other players were Donald Byrd on trumpet, Barry Harris on piano, and Kenny Clarke on drums.
I have a 1992 CD of Jazz Message #2, released by Nippon Columbia Co. in Japan. I own several CD releases from that label and did not buy them as imports, so I assume they were created for the American market. The CD booklet includes a page headlined “Denon Digital Remastering,” but it doesn’t describe how the disc was mastered or by whom. Nippon Columbia owned Denon and Savoy Records at that point.
Concord Records acquired Savoy in 2017, and its Craft Recordings label has reissued several Savoy titles on vinyl as part of its Original Jazz Classics (OJC) series. Kevin Gray remastered the reissues in the series and cut the lacquer. Record Technology Incorporated (RTI) pressed the vinyl. This new vinyl reissue and the 1992 CD release are both mono.
The July session takes up side 1 of the LP, commencing with “Thad’s Blues,” a composition by trumpeter Thad Jones. Mobley and Lee Morgan state the opening theme, with Hank Jones, Watkins, and Taylor behind them. The CD and this vinyl reissue sounded remarkably similar, even down to the output levels—I didn’t need to adjust the volume to compare them.
The soundstage on the vinyl reissue was slightly more spacious than on the CD, but I emphasize slightly. Jones and Taylor had a little more room to register, and I heard a tiny bit more attack on Watkins’s bass, but the difference was not dramatic. On the next track, “Doug’s Minor B’ok,” Art Taylor’s tom-toms had more bounce on the LP, and Jones’s piano sounded out more brightly—but again, the differences were small.
Morgan’s playing on side 1 is confident and impressive, but he was just 18 at the time of the recording and still establishing his own sound. Donald Byrd, the trumpet player on side 2, was six years older and had settled more firmly into a unique style. He and Mobley sound at ease during the opening to “B. for B.B.” When Byrd steps up for a solo, he plays boldly and inventively, and the rhythm section helps drive him along. Harris follows with a stirring, blues-based solo full of wit and energy. Mobley’s own solo flows warmly, and a close listen shows him to be thinking through the changes while playing with spontaneity and taking skillful melodic flights.
Mobley wrote all the tracks on side 2. The second one, “Blues Number Two,” is a precursor to the memorable compositions he would write during his Blue Note years. As he takes the first solo, he shows his affection for swing-era players, especially Lester Young. “Space Flight,” which closes the LP, is another memorable tune by Mobley that gives him, Byrd, and Harris space to stretch out. Kenny Clarke gets a chance near the end of the track to show his considerable skills.
After a few comparisons, I found myself leaning a little towards the sound of the LP. The CD gave a tad more emphasis to the treble, which certainly lent more texture to Mobley’s tenor sax and a brighter edge to the trumpets. On the other hand, solos seemed to unfold more naturally on the LP, and the timbre of the instruments sounded more correct. The ride cymbals had more sizzle on the CD but were more expansive on the LP.
In the end, though, I’d have a hard time choosing between the music as it was presented on either reissue. I was able to distinguish between them, but my preference for the LP probably had more to do with my affection for vinyl than any superior sonic qualities. I could listen to and enjoy this music on both of these reissues.
When it comes to packaging, the LP is the clear winner. The cover photo is well reproduced, and the original artwork is tipped-on and glued to heavy cardboard stock. The liner notes are clear and easy to read. Although the CD insert does fold out to reveal the original back cover, the liner notes are in very small print. The LP is placed in a nice antistatic inner sleeve, and my pressing was flat and quiet.
Jazz Message #2 is a good snapshot of Mobley, Byrd, and Morgan early in their careers. The album hasn’t been in print on vinyl since 1991, and that was in Japan. In America, it hasn’t been available on LP since 1957. Copies of both are far more expensive than this new reissue. If you are a fan of Hank Mobley’s music, you’ll want to own this beautifully done vinyl reissue, even if you have the music on CD.
. . . Joseph Taylor
josepht@soundstagenetwork.com
