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Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, John Coltrane & Zoot Sims - Tenor Conclave (1956) Genre: Jazz / hard bop, cool Time: 43:48 | Label: Prestige/OJC

AMG:

These four sides should not be hard to locate, as the primary participants in this November 30, 1956, session have all issued them within their individual catalogs. However, Tenor Conclave was first released as credited to the "leaderless" Prestige All-Stars — consisting of tenor saxophonists John Coltrane, Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, and Zoot Sims. Providing support are pianist Red Garland, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Art Taylor. The Mobley-penned title track commences the effort with the quartet of tenors showing off their stuff in high-flying style. It takes a couple of passes and somewhat of a trained ear to be able to link the players with their contributions, but as is often the case, the whole tends to be greater than the sum of the parts. After a brief introduction with all four rapidly reeling off short riffs, Mobley charges ahead into truly inspired territory. The midtempo take of "Just You, Just Me" keeps things lively with a light swinging pace that is custom-made for bringing the combo's jocular side to the surface, particularly toward the end as they "trade fours," with each tenor blowing four bars before passing the melody on. The other Mobley composition is "Bob's Boys," and by all accounts it is the most compelling piece on the outing. The blues-based tune rollicks as Coltrane, Mobley, Cohn, and Sims find themselves configured in a seeming myriad of sonic face-offs. Wrapping up Tenor Conclave is an ultra-cool and sophisticated "How Deep Is the Ocean?" Cohn commences the long and luscious reading with a subtle strength, suggesting the powerful undercurrent flowing throughout the number. Also, listeners are treated to what is possibly Garland's finest interaction, leading left into Sims, Chambers, and finally a sublime Coltrane caboose.

A reviewer:

It may be hard to imagine these days but at the time of this session Coltrane was the least well known of the four frontliners. His tenure with Miles Davis was already gaining him critical notice (and his Prestige contract) but he was by no means the star he would be two years hence. Mobley - long regarded as underrated - was, if anything, ahead in the career game, with stints with major leaders like Gillespie, Roach, Blakey and Silver already under his belt, and was certainly the better represented on record (1956 was an especially bumper year). Cohn and Sims - then still regarded as "cool school" graduates but in reality earthy mainstreamers - were by far the best known. Sims, the perennial sideman, was then in New York with Gerry Mulligan's sextet whilst Cohn was balancing a playing career with an effective role as staff arranger at RCA-Victor.

Ira Gilter's original notes make much of the combined roots of these four individuals, and of the apparent mutual admiration on the date itself, but what of the music. Are Cohn and Coltrane an oil and water mix? And do Sims and Mobley's characteristic relaxed styles offer too little contrast? Not a bit of it. What is genuinely remarkable is this similarity between all four men, or rather how well they are able to integrate their individual styles in a single performance. There are some surprises; Cohn, often thought of as a rather more leaden player than his running mate Sims, sometimes undercuts the youthfully virtuosic Coltrane in an example of measured ideas and pacing over verbosity. Sims and Mobley compliment each other perfectly with tones, that in this close proximity, don't seem all that far different.

The resident Prestige rhythm section of Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Art Taylor underpins everything with polished ease (swinging more than Cohn and Sims usual teams of the time) and get their chances with only Chambers poor bowed intonation on "How Deep Is The Ocean" marring the record. The latter track is the most revealing of all four titles on the album. At just over quarter of an hour each soloist has a chorus to himself, illustrating that at this distance in time Coltrane's radical and lighter delivery was no less suited to this romantic mood than Cohn's rich and dark tone.



Personnel:

Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, John Coltrane - tenor saxophones

Red Garland - piano

Paul Chambers - bass

Arthur Taylor - drums

Tracks:

1. Tenor Conclave

2. Just You, Just Me

3. Bob's Boys

4. How Deep Is The Ocean

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Rating:
2.5 out of 5 by Book123