Freddie Hubbard Ready For Freddie

Here are assembled five classic albums from the narrow band of just a few years, an indication of the amazing prolific talents. There is Open Sesame, originally released in 1960; Goin' Up (1961); Hub Cap (1961); Ready for Freddie (1962); Hub-Tones (1963). The list of accompanying musicians is veritably Olympian - Herbie Hancock, Cedar Walton and McCoy Tyner on various pianos, Philly Joe Jones on drums, Hank Mobley on tenor sax, Paul Chambers on bass and so on.

One of the most dynamic and accomplished artists to debut during the early '70s, singer and songwriter Chaka Khan secured her high standing as the frontperson of Rufus. A multiracial band that skillfully moved across soul, funk, rock, and jazz, they reached the mainstream with the slinking "Tell Me Something Good" (1974), a Top Five pop hit that won a Grammy, and throughout the decade continuously placed albums within the upper reaches of the pop and R&B charts. As Rufus remained active, Khan launched her solo career with "I'm Every Woman" (1978), an anthemic crossover disco smash that led to eight additional Top Ten R&B hits.

Mod brings together 4CDs containing 100 tracks that encapsulate the spirit of a sub cultural youth movement that began in London in 1958 focusing on music and fashion.

Pianist/composer Duke Pearson leads an all-star group on this run-through of seven of his compositions. The musicians (trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, altoist James Spaulding, Joe Henderson on tenor, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Mickey Roker, and the pianist/leader) are actually more impressive than many of the compositions, although the swinging minor-toned "Big Bertha" deserved to become a standard. The frameworks are quite intelligent (and everyone doesn't solo on each selection), and the improvisations are concise and clearly related to each tune's melody and mood.