Republic of Jazz: Eli Degibri - Soul Station (A Tribute to Hank Mobley) October 5, 2018

Saturday, August 25, 2018

Eli Degibri - Soul Station (A Tribute to Hank Mobley) October 5, 2018

With a very few if notable exceptions, Soul Station has not been noted by critics and jazz enthusiasts as one of the great jazz records of the 20th century; not in the way that Sonny Rollins’ Saxophone Colosuss or John Coltrane’s Giant Steps were hailed. British critic and musician Dave Gelly did pronounce it as Mobley’s masterpiece and ‘on a par with Saxophone Colossus’ although he was one of the very few to praise it highly. But let us not in any case, make comparisons; as somebody said a long time ago comparisons are odious. Let us instead continue our journey along the road of progress of a jazz masterpiece and look at a new and exciting new recording by saxophonist Eli Degibri and his sterling rhythm section and his tribute to Hank Mobley with seven strong tracks that may well, in the fullness of time, become another recorded jazz masterpiece and, due to the more enlightened state of most of today’s jazz commentators and enthusiasts, reach that exalted status much quicker than Hank’s album did. Eli Degibri’s CD is a tribute to Hank Mobley with his quartet playing all six of the selections that Hank played on the original Soul Station disc and keeping much of the relaxed feel of that original session fifty-eight years ago. But it is much more than that.

The best jazz soloists do not copy or imitate but soon develop their own unique method of expression. Degibri took what he wanted from whom he wanted to take and, as American critic Joe Goldberg put it in his note to Mobley’s original LP ‘everyone does that, the difference between genius and hackwork is the manner in which it is done.’ He too, has emerged with a definite statement to make. So while this album is a heartfelt tribute to Mobley it is, first and foremost an example of Eli Degibri creating a strong, personal jazz statement.

The tribute to Mobley comes in the way Eli sets up each selection. Take for example Remember, the Irving Berlin standard that kicks off the Mobley disc and this album. Eli begins by playing the first few bars in a relaxed, lyrical fashion, much like Hank’s version but he has soon segued into his own intense, flowing solo that is a picture of his personal thoughts on this piece of music. Then there is Soul Station, Hank’s blues and the title track of his original recording.

Once again Eli takes the opening theme statement gently and smoothly although his tempo is faster than Hank’s. He is very soon fashioning his own story on this soulful piece, and a fascinating story it is too. The ballad If I Should l Lose You is an even better example. Eli’s opening notes are gentle, full of the pain caused by the possibility of losing somebody close and again not unlike Hank’s sound to begin but he is soon deeply engrossed in expressing his own deep feelings in this, possible, situation. The notes tumble out lyrically and are made to fit the structure of the song, much as Mobley used to do although both these musicians do it in their own sweet way. As if to underline his personal approach Degibri plays Split Feelings on soprano sax rather than tenor. On This I Dig Of You, the saxophonist, again on soprano, and pianist feature a transcribed solo that Eli took from Wynton Kelly’s original on the Mobley album, played here in unison with Tom Oren. It is Eli’s nod to Kelly’s genius. The Mobley ambience throughout the track however is there to be felt and heard and paradoxically appears to be because of the change of instrument.

This I Dig Of You motors along with a tasty soprano solo but also points up the contribution of this fine rhythm section driving the unit through every selection. These are the tracks that Mobley also recorded but this album includes Eli’s original Dear Hank. This slow blues is reminiscent of Mobley in every bar and sounds like just the sort of composition he might have written if he were around today. Dig the melodic, pulsing solo by Tom Oren on piano and note the strong firm bass of Tamir Shmerling and the driving but unobtrusive drumming of Eviatar Slivnik. This quartet is cohesive and together throughout; they sound as though they have been playing together for years but in actuality this is a new quartet.

So now we are at the end of the first part of the journey towards sealing Mobley’s record for posterity and signalling arguably the best record to date of the Eli Degibri Quartet. A tribute to Mobley’s Soul Station was long overdue but few, I suspect, could have done it half as well as this quartet. If you haven’t played the record yet this, now, is your second and final phase of the journey and the integration of Soul Station, volumes 1 (1960) & 2 (2018) into the modern jazz hall of fame.

Liner Notes by Derek Ansell