Hubbard Backlash

The first of trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's three Atlantic albums, this excellent set falls between hard bop and the avant-garde, often hinting at both. Hubbard's regular group of the time (James Spaulding on alto and flute, pianist Albert Dailey, bassist Bob Cunningham, and drummer Otis Ray Appleton, plus guest conga player Ray Barretto) performs the debut version of his famous "Little Sunflower," an excellent remake of "Up Jumped Spring," and four lesser-known pieces. Hubbard and Spaulding made for an excellent team and there are plenty of exciting moments on this brief but potent set.

Sing Me a Song of Songmy (1971). Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and his quintet (which consisted of tenor-saxophonist Junior Cook, pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Art Booth and drummer Louis Hayes) is joined by a chorus, a string orchestra, several reciters, an organist and a variety of processed sounds emanating from tapes. The thoughts expressed in the music (topical and anti-war messages) are quite sincere but the abstract sounds will only be enjoyed by a limited audience.
Echoes of Blue (1976). An exersize in complete contrast, Ecchos Of Blue starts with a latin number and gets us back on familier ground. The whole record is the sophisicated hard bop that Hubbard was so adept at playing. He seemed to learn from experiments like Songmy and applied it when he went back to straight material.

Freddie Hubbard - Anthology: The Soul-Jazz and Fusion Years 66-82 (2002) {2CD Soul Brother Records CD SBPJ 10 D}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 0.99 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 365 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 26 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1966-82, 2002 Soul Brother Records / Passion Music | CD SBPJ 10 D
Jazz / Soul Jazz / Jazz Funk / Fusion / Trumpet / Flugelhorn

This collection on the U.K.'s Soul Brother imprint is a very compelling look at a big slice of Freddie Hubbard's long career as a leader, and one that gets ignored for the most part. Hubbard recorded over 20 records between Backlash, his Atlantic debut in 1966, and Ride Like the Wind for Elektra in 1982, with lengthy stops at Columbia and CTI (as well some straight hard bop and post-bop outings for labels Fantasy and Pablo). In many cases, some of these original recordings were not only disregarded by more traditional jazzheads, they were regarded with outright hostility. It didn't matter to Hubbard, however, because at the time, these were among his best-selling albums and connected with the public deeply.

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.