ELI DEGIBRI: “SOUL STATION”

Leonard Feather once dubbed Hank Mobley “the middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone” and like many of Feather’s pronouncements, the comment probably did more harm than good. True, Mobley came up in an era where tenor players seemed to come a dime a dozen, but Mobley had a unique sound and concept, which was no better illustrated than on his 1960 Blue Note masterpiece, “Soul Station”. Eli Degibri, an underrated tenor man in his own right, considers Mobley a personal hero, and on his new CD, “Soul Station: A Tribute to Hank Mobley”, he performs all of the songs from the original album, and adds a personal tribute at the end. The first chorus of the opening track, Irving Berlin’s “Remember” sounds like a carbon copy of Mobley’s version, featuring the melody over a two-beat bounce. But when Degibri starts to solo, we can hear that while the Mobley influence is clear, his harmonic and melodic vocabulary encompasses a wider range than Mobley’s. Pianist Tom Oren was a good pick for this recording, as he brings a strong influence of Mobley’s pianist, Wynton Kelly, but who can also move away from the model whenever necessary. “This I Dig of You” is my all-time favorite Mobley side, and I love how Degibri (now on soprano) and Oren play an extremely accurate transcription of Kelly’s original solo (Mobley’s original solo is also a gem, and one long overdue for a vocalese lyric). Bassist Tamir Shmerling plays a rich-toned solo before Degibri soars in for a set of swift exchanges with drummer Eviatar Slivnik. This recording was made in Tel Aviv, and Degibri notes that “Soul Station” is taught in Israel’s jazz education programs, which goes a long way towards explaining why Degibri’s quartet plays this music with such authority. Yet, they also understand that jazz is a living music, which is subject to different approaches. On one hand, Degibri can resurrect the ghosts of Art Blakey and Mobley with the sly addition of a vintage audio clip, and still bring a modern and unbridled passion—going far beyond what Mobley would ever play—into a ballad treatment of “If I Should Lose You”. And on the heels of that stunning performance comes a version of “Split Feelings” where the solo styles mark a nearly complete departure from Mobley’s original. Degibri returns to the original model for the title track, and he captures Mobley’s essence in his tribute, “Dear Hank”. This album is a fine introduction to Degibri, and one that may also inspire listeners to re-evaluate Hank Mobley.

Author: THOMAS CUNNIFFE
Publication: Jazz History Online