This unusual meeting of four tenor saxophone players from different “schools” was part of the Prestige Friday afternoon jam session series but far from a typical outing. The giant forebears of Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, and Charlie Parker inform the backgrounds of the performers on this LP — Hank Mobley, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, and John Coltrane — and other influences such as Ben Webster, Dexter Gordon, and the Sonnys (Stitt and Rollins) show up, too, depending on which of the four protagonists you’re talking about.
With the Red Garland Trio supplying the underpinning, the four tenors meet on the common ground of the blues (“Bob’s Boys”), “I Got Rhythm” (“Tenor Conclave”), and two old standards. (The originals are by Mobley.) Rather than the stylistic differences, what stands out here is the compatibility and spirit of the four meeting on this common ground in an uncommon session.