Freddie Hubbard

This disc pairs separate Atlantic reissues from two of the finest hard bop brass players of all time, Nat Adderley and Freddie Hubbard. A Soul Experiment finds Hubbard grasping for 1969 commercial radio acceptance with shorter songs, and a stab at Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman." A Soul Experiment isn't horrible, but in no way does it represent the artistry of Freddie Hubbard. Nat Adderley, on the other hand, achieved one of his strongest dates with his first post-Riverside, initial Atlantic 1964 release, Autobiography. Classic compositions "Work Song," "Little Boy With the Sad Eyes," "The Old Country," and "Jive Samba" are included with five other Adderley-penned tunes of equal hard bop appeal.

At age 25, Freddie Hubbard made inroads into modern jazz most trumpeters could not imagine, much less come through with. As a soloist, one of Hubbard's crowning achievements in his early period was this recording on which he teamed with Wayne Shorter, marginally as a performer but prominent in the role of arranger/conductor for his first time ever. Utilizing a septet, 16-piece big band, and orchestra plus stings to play concise, tight tunes, Shorter provides the backdrop to employ Hubbard's bold toned trumpet and all of its devices in a full display of his powerful melodic talents. ..

Freddie Hubbard - Sky Dive (1972) {CTI–CBS Records ZK44171 rel 1988}
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© 1972, 1988 CTI / CBS Records | ZK 44171
Jazz / Post Bop / Jazz Funk / Soul Jazz / Groove / Trumpet

This Creed Taylor gem from the early 70's sounds even better now than it did then. Freddie Hubbard is, or at least was, a remarkable trumpet player - a genuine virtuoso with terrific tone, meldodic sense and emotional range. The songs are unusual, beautiful and in the groove. Ditto for everyone else on the album, which - I hadn't noticed this 30 years ago - includes Keith Jarrett. Ron Carter's bass is mesmerizing. Listening to his riff on the first song helped me appreciate the power of nuance and a subtle riff well placed.

Freddie Hubbard - The Night Of The Cookers (1965) {2004 Blue Note RVG Remaster}
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© 1965, 2004 Blue Note / Capitol / EMI | 7243 5 94323 2 8 | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Hard Bop / Trumpet

Originally released as two separate LPs (and reissued in 2004 as a double CD package) THE NIGHT OF THE COOKERS, VOLUMES 1 & 2 puts trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan, two of the biggest guns of the hard-bop era, head to head throughout an extended live set. James Spaulding plays alto sax and flute, balancing out the brighter, brassier timbres of Hubbard and Morgan, and a crack rhythm section of pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Larry Ridley, drummer Pete La Roca, and conga player Big Black keeps things simmering.

Freddie Hubbard & Woody Shaw - Double Take (1985) {Blue Note}
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© 1985 Blue Note / Capitol | CDP 7 46294 2
Jazz / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Trumpet

Other than their joint appearance as sidemen on Benny Golson's Time Speaks in 1983, Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw had never recorded together before Double Take. At this point in their evolution, Hubbard still gets the edge (his range is wider and he cannot be surpassed technically). Although Shaw tended to play more harmonically sophisticated lines and is remarkably inventive, they are both trumpet masters. Their meeting on Double Take was more of a collaboration than a trumpet battle; in fact, the brass giants only trade off briefly on "Lotus Blossom."

It was the producer's idea that Freddie Hubbard play all of the nine standards on this CD with a mute in his trumpet. Hubbard was not happy with the restriction, but does his best on the quartet/quintet session with pianist Benny Green, bassist Rufus Reid, drummer Carl Allen and, on three numbers, altoist Kenny Garrett. While it is interesting to hear Freddie Hubbard tackle such material as "Topsy," "As Time Goes By," "Cherokee" and "Love Me or Leave Me," the music is often more mellow than one might hope, even when uptempo.