In the late 60's, many hard bop artists began trying to adapt to the changing times without going completely overboard like Miles. No dashiki or 'fro here, but Hank Mobley's 24th album on Blue Note succeeds with covers of recent soul hits like Reach Out (I'll Be There) and Goin' Out Of My Head. In large part, that's because Hank surrounded himself with youngsters like LaMont Johnson (age 26), George Benson (25) and Woody Shaw (23). These players lend a freshness to this session that foreshadows their dominance of jazz in the years to come.
This is part of the recent Mosaic box covering Mobley's later years (1963-1970) on Blue Note.
18 months after after the session for Reach Out!, Hank Mobley recorded this album in Paris with an entirely different quintet. It presents a brassier, less funky vibe with Slide Hampton's trombone replacing George Benson's guitar but pure hard bop never sounded better. Other name players include Dizzy Reece and Philly Joe Jones.