A Slice of the Top
A Slice of the Top is a jazz studio album by Hank Mobley. It was recorded on March 18, 1966, at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, but it wasn’t released by Blue Note until 1979. The album lasts about 38 minutes and 39 seconds. Alfred Lion produced the session. The music was written by Mobley in 1964 while he was in prison for a narcotics offense, and he gave the sheet music to Duke Pearson to arrange while he was incarcerated.
The record features a larger-than-usual group: Lee Morgan on trumpet, Kiane Zawadi on euphonium, Howard Johnson on tuba, James Spaulding on alto sax, McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums. Duke Pearson did the arrangements. On the original LP sleeve, Reggie Workman was mistakenly listed as the bassist.
Mobley was frustrated by Blue Note for delaying the release for more than a decade. He complained that he had several finished records “on the shelf,” and the label was essentially waiting for him to die.
Critic Scott Yanow, writing for AllMusic, noted that Mobley continued to grow as a player and fit in well with the adventurous group on this date, including Spaulding, Morgan, Tyner, Workman, and Higgins. The unusual tuba and euphonium parts provided extra color to the session. All compositions are by Hank Mobley, except as noted.
An alternative cover was issued for the 1995 limited CD reissue.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:53 (CET).