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A Message for Mobley

by Bob Reynolds

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tonymessano
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tonymessano One of the most perfect straight ahead jazz albums I've heard in many, many years. Beautiful from start to finish. Favorite track: Ceora.
Rob O.
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Rob O. Smooth and sweet! Bob does it old school and does it very well. Nice change of pace from some of the more gimmicky stuff that's out there that sometimes becomes overkill.
Peter Jones
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Peter Jones Blimey! The sound. You're in a jazz club... (OK, it's not got the smoke -- but that's cool.) It's so intimate and yet live and open. I'll wander over to the bar to listen, I think...

I was going to give Charles Ruggiero a special mention -- yes, I love the drums (and I'm a drummer). But all of the playing, recording, mixing and production - it's just sweet. So: special mention to all!
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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    You'll receive an autographed copy of this CD, which comes in a lovely vintage-style gatefold card case designed to look and feel like those hip jazz vinyl packages from the 1960s.
    **We will ship internationally (outside US) but please note it costs more and takes longer.

    Includes unlimited streaming of A Message for Mobley via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Streaming + Download

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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 13 Bob Reynolds releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Runway, A Message for Mobley, Quartet, Hindsight, Guitar Band, Déjà Vu, Somewhere In Between, Live at The Blue Whale 1-25-13, and 5 more. , and , .

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1.
Up A Step 05:38
2.
3.
4.
Ceora 05:32
5.
6.
Ecaroh 05:21
7.

about

"Classic and modern at the same time."

This is not a Hank Mobley tribute. Don't take that the wrong way – I’m a big admirer of Hank's work, but the road to this album didn't begin with a desire to pay homage to him. It came when I asked Charles Ruggiero to produce a straight-ahead jazz record for me.

Charles and I have played together for years in various LA-based bands, and I was featured on his album Charles Ruggiero Meets Laura Mace. Besides swinging his tail off on the drums, he’s got a knack for repertoire and an ear for production. The Hank Mobley idea was his way of framing my playing in a soulful hard-bop context.

We had a couple of parameters: 1) no songs from Hank's most famous record, Soul Station, and 2) record in one room, on one day. That's how they produced many of our favorite classic-jazz albums and we were aiming for that vibe. As soon as I heard the song choices, I was nodding my head and thinking about how fun it'd be to play them. We chose the electric piano to avoid trying to re-create music that's already been perfectly recorded.

Some of these songs are from Hank’s records as a leader, some are from his work as a sideman.  The title track is my contribution. It’s a nod to the classic Blue Note Boogaloos, many of which Hank played on.

Special thanks to Alex Boneham and Larry Goldings, who played beautifully from start to finish. It was such a joy to make music with these wonderful players. I hope you have as much fun listening to it as we had creating it.

Bob Reynolds, Los Angeles 2019

——————————————————

A fork is an instrument – so is a hammer. You use a fork to eat, and a hammer to drive in a nail. An instrument is something you use. You use it. An instrument is a means to an end. It’s not something you simply wield for the sake of it. Imagine a guy with a hammer and nothing to nail…. He might feel tough standing there with something heavy in his hand, but at the end of the day, he’s got no purpose and is left looking rather foolish.

A saxophone is an instrument too. You use it to create music, to create melodies. I’ve heard plenty of saxophone players over the years who have mastered the instrument itself but have no clue how to use it properly. They remind me of our guy with the hammer. Not Bob Reynolds. Bob is the kind of player who sees the instrument as a tool, not a playground. What better avenues to craft melody than the vehicles made famous by the master himself: Mister Mobley. Thanks for the lesson Hank, message received.

Charles Ruggiero, Los Angeles 2019

credits

released December 31, 2019

Bob Reynolds - tenor saxophone
Larry Goldings - Fender Rhodes electric piano
Alex Boneham - double bass
Charles Ruggiero - drums

1. Up A Step⁣ (H. Mobley)
2. Venus Di Mildew⁣ (W. Shorter)
3. Someday My Prince Will Come⁣ (F. Churchill)
4. Ceora⁣ (L. Morgan)
5. A Message for Mobley⁣ (B. Reynolds)
6. Ecaroh⁣ (H. Silver)
7. I Should Care⁣ (A. Stordahl and P. Weston)

Produced by Charles Ruggiero & Bob Reynolds
Recorded July 26th 2018 by Pete Min at Lucy’s Meat Market LA, CA
Mixed & Mastered by Ian Hendrickson-Smith
CD cover and package design by Charles Ruggiero
Photography by Jose Perez
Production assistant: Alex Young

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Bob Reynolds Los Angeles, California

Bob Reynolds is a Grammy Award-winning jazz tenor saxophonist known for his work with Snarky Puppy and John Mayer.

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