"Remember" is a warm, swinging reading of Irving Berlin's standard that opens Hank Mobley's masterpiece Soul Station, recorded in 1960 for Blue Note. Set in a 32-bar AABA form in A-flat at approximately 166 bpm, the tune provides an ideal vehicle for Mobley's distinctive approach to the tenor saxophone. His three-chorus solo unfolds with the relaxed, singing quality that earned him the sobriquet "the middleweight champion of the tenor sax," his tone warm and rounded, his phrasing marked by a smooth, fluid lyricism that sits comfortably between the heavyweight intensity of John Coltrane and the lighter approach of Stan Getz. Pianist Wynton Kelly follows with two choruses of characteristic bluesy elegance, his touch perfectly calibrated to complement Mobley's style. Bassist Paul Chambers contributes a brief half-chorus solo before the ensemble returns. The rhythm section of Kelly, Chambers, and drummer Art Blakey provides one of the most swinging foundations in recorded jazz, their collective groove an irresistible invitation to musical conversation. Soul Station is widely regarded as Mobley's finest album, and this opening track establishes the session's relaxed, deeply swinging character from the first notes.
