Freddie Hubbard
Prolific and highly energetic, Freddie Hubbard is one of the jazz musicians whose boundless energy seemed to serve his career well: consequently he was always aware and curious about the latest developments in music, his own niche in jazz as well as the ever-changing and expanding styles and sounds "out there" in music's the other genres and sub-genres. Jazz-Rock Fusion and, in particular, funk and Smooth Jazz are two sub-genres of Jazz and Popular music that seemed to serve Freddie particularly well as his 1970s discography not only stands up supremely well with the passage of time but fit in well, even in an imaginative leadership capacity, contributing to the growth and deepening of the burgeoning sub-genres. I do not know whether his albums of the 1970s proved commercially successful for him--I hope they did--because they are eminently enjoyable--but I think he commanded a respect from his peers that hopefully paid off in other ways. Also, there are very few trumpeter...