Hubert Laws Rite

Studio Trieste is an album by trumpeter Chet Baker, guitarist Jim Hall and flautist Hubert Laws which was recorded in 1982 and released on the CTI label. Chet Baker's CTI recordings (which were usually arranged by Don Sebesky) always came off well. For what would be his final CTI date, he was matched with guitarist Jim Hall, flutist Hubert Laws and a fine rhythm section for two jazz standards ("Django" and "All Blues") and a pair of unusual pieces ("Malaguena" and "Swan Lake"). Throughout, Sebesky's charts favorably showcase Baker's lyrical trumpet, making this a recommended LP.

Maybe some of the coolest music ever recorded at Carnegie Hall – a wonderful venue that's perfect for the blend of soul and space of the CTI Records years of Hubert Laws! Laws' lead lines on flute really stretch out beautifully in the setting - given ample room to roam amidst a lineup that features Dave Friedman on vibes, Ron Carter on bass, and Bob James on piano and electric piano - all on tracks that have the same open, breathy quality as Hubert's sublime Afro Classic album. Like that set, there's a subtle dose of funk in the mix, but more focus on an airier mode up top - stretched out beautifully over a medley of Chick Corea's "Windows" and "Fire & Rain" - and on a 20 minute take of "Passacaglia In C Minor".

After the success of 1970's Afro-Classic, Hubert Laws re-teamed with arranger/conductor Don Sebesky for 1972's Morning Star, his third date for producer Creed Taylor's CTI. Laws' sidemen for the date included Ron Carter on bass, Bob James on electric piano, Billy Cobham and Ralph McDonald on drums, guitarist John Tropea, and vibraphonist/percussionist Dave Friedman. ~ AllMusic

Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 40 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Alongside Herbie Mann, Laws is probably the most recognized and respected jazz flutist. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm-and-blues genres, moving effortlessly from one repertory to another.

Flute virtuoso Hubert Laws has always occupied his own artistic turf, whether interpreting works by Mozart, Stravinsky, Dvorak, Debussy, Satie, Faure, and J.S. Bach or improvising with immaculate ease through the modern jazz compositions of Chick Corea, Sonny Rollins, and John Coltrane. He has also demonstrated a well-grounded attitude toward the mainstream pop repertoire, which he handles with comparable mastery. Bridge over Troubled Water, as one might guess, is an entire album of hit tunes by Paul Simon. Each melody is executed with the relaxed precision that has always characterized much of this artist's work. The flutist is backed by pianist John Beasley, bassist Stanley Gilbert, drummer Ralph Penland, and the West L.A. Strings under the direction of Stanley Gilbert.

The original soundtrack recording of Neil Simon's California Suite. Pianist, composer, producer, and bandleader Claude Bolling enjoyed his first successes as a kingpin in the mainland European trad jazz movement of the 1950s and '60s. A skilled pianist who was heavily influenced by Duke Ellington, Teddy Wilson, Earl Hines, and Art Tatum, he also persisted in performing ragtime and old-style jazz during the years when U.S. and European pop culture was dominated by Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Beginning in 1975, Bolling created his own personal micro-genre of classical crossover chamber jazz, composing and recording entire suites that featured several of the world's most highly acclaimed virtuosi.