Hank Mobley (tenor sax), Wynton Kelly (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Blakey (drums). From the album Soul Station (1960).
Hard bop emerged influenced by blues, gospel and rhythm and blues. This style was contrary to the counterpoint arrangements and the nuanced sonority of cool jazz. The precursors of hard bop established an aggressive sound that combined bebop’s innovations with the tradition of gospel singers.
Later, a second generation of virtuous musicians took over to perform a modified bebop using very fast tempos and formal metric patterns. These musicians despised the lack of emotional commitment of the cool school and emphasized the characteristics of hot-jazz: robust sound and energy in the accelerated themes and more sensitivity in the ballads.
The main melody of the song has a Caribbean rhythm, but on the bridge and in the rest of the composition the band uses walking. Mobley links the end of the theme with a solo controlled, simple and with a lot of swing. His melodic lines are full of complicated rhythmic patterns. Kelly follows him playing with clarity and precision, and his solo acquires a certain bluesy flavor. Mobley then exchanges four-bar solos with Blakey and finally the group re-exposes the theme fading out.
© Blue Note Records