Henry (Hank) Mobley (July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986) was an American
hard bop and
soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by
Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to describe his tone that was neither as aggressive as
John Coltrane nor as mellow as
Stan Getz. His style was laid-back, subtle and melodic, especially in contrast with players like
Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane, and it took many jazz connoisseurs until after his demise to fully appreciate his talent. Mobley was born in Eastman, Georgia, but …
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