No Room for Squares cover

No Room for Squares

Released

This album includes four tracks from March 1963 and two from October of that year; the first batch featured Donald Byrd on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, Butch Warren on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums, while the latter featured Lee Morgan, Andrew Hill, and John Ore, with Jones returning. Mobley was a melodic, subtle player whose compositions gave his bandmates plenty to work with, and he wrote four of the six tracks here, with Lee Morgan contributing the others. Hill’s clanging piano gives the October tracks more of an edge; the title track nods to the avant-garde at a few points. But ultimately, this is mid ’60s hard bop at its soulful, songful best.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
The Epic cover

The Epic

Kamasi Washington
Workout cover

Workout

Hank Mobley
The Clown cover

The Clown

Charles Mingus
Moon Rappin' cover

Moon Rappin'

Jack McDuff
Sun Goddess cover

Sun Goddess

Ramsey Lewis
Somethin’ Else cover

Somethin’ Else

Cannonball Adderley
Along Came John cover

Along Came John

Big John Patton
Speaking in Tongues cover

Speaking in Tongues

David Murray, Fontella Bass
Tenor Madness cover

Tenor Madness

Sonny Rollins
Love Quantum cover

Love Quantum

Theo Croker