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 trumpeters I like as well (or more) than Freddie--none from the 1970s.

 Call it a strength or call it a flaw, one of Freddie's dominant preferences was a predilection to cover songs that had made and impact on the popular music/radio charts. I am guessing that fully one-fifth to one quarter of Freddie's most popular songs were covers of already-popular "hit" songs.  

FREDDIE HUBBARD Red Clay (1970)

Recorded at Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on January 27-29, 1970, and then released to the public by CTI in May. This was Freddie's first album produced by Creed Taylor, thus announcing a new style and sound that would become Freddie's signature over the next decade (despite only working with Creed and Rudy for the next five years).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet
- Joe Henderson / tenor saxophone, flute
- Herbie Hancock / electric piano, organ
- Ron Carter / bass, electric bass
- Lenny White / drums

A1. "Red Clay" (12:05) Lenny White's muscular, more-rock-inspired drums are noticeable from the get-go as are Herbie Hancock's electric piano and Ron Carter's hyper-active electric bass. I love how Freddie and Joe both seem to feed off of the energy coming from Lenny and Ron, while Herbie tempers everybody with his smoothed out electric piano sound and play. I can see why everybody loves this song: great enthusiasm captured here! High marks for Ron's play alone (though when given a solo he's rather subdued and toned down)! And then there is the wonderfully-synchronized whole band staccato play in the last 90 seconds to finish. I would definitely call this a Jazz-Rock Fusion song. (23/25)

A2. "Delphia" (7:25) opening with that long-held discordant chord on the organ is genius--especially in light of the gorgeous, gospel-bluesy song that comes out of it. Freddie's trumpet play is so smooth--this despite the raw and raunchy organ play from Herbie. The bass and drums seem much more aligned with Freddie's mood and melody, but it is Herbie's dirty organ play that takes the song's simple "purity" out of the realms of guileless innocence and makes it rather suggestive and risqué--even winning over the horn players to the side of sin and temptation over the course of the song's seven minutes. Wow! What an honest though disturbing scene to have to witness! Like watching an innocent, unassuming young girl be seduced into giving up her virginity! The suggestive storytelling power of music! (Despite the fusion of innocence with lechery, this is not very fusion music.) (13.5/15)

B1. "Suite Sioux" (8:40) more relaxed and upbeat than the previous song, the song opens with a light conversation between Herbie's organ and Fender Rhodes and the two horn players until 1:10 when Freddie takes off into the first of two alternating bop motifs, the rhythm section beneath him seeming to be alternating between two (or three) very different lanes on the free way (or air currents over the Badlands). Whatever their instructions or motivations, the seemingly-random switches between the three motifs are quite radical: requiring quite a little skill and focus from the bass and drummer (deftly manifested by both Ron and Lenny). The soloists flying on the air currents above seem hardly to take notice, even when Ron and Lenny fly into unexpected wind gusts. At the six-minute mark we get the launch into a drum solo that is rather unusual for its loud and pronounced bass drum and then oddly subtle dénouement. The horns and Herbie come back to the motif of the opening "conversation" while Ron and Lenny hit an even more strangely different pattern beneath. Wow! What did I just hear?! Some intrepid (and extended) étude? Some kind of alchemical magic? Listening to Lenny White alone makes for a fascinating and mind-boggling experience. (18.25/20)

B2. "The Intrepid Fox" (10:40) sounds like music rooted very firmly in the hard bop jazz of the 1960s despite the free reign given to Herbie Hancock and his electric piano. Even Lenny sounds quite disciplined to constrain himself within the rigors of standard jazz practices here. (17.375/20)

Total time 38:50

90.16 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of highly diversified music that spans a spectrum from be-bop, hard bop and the new Jazz-Rock Fusion. In terms of adding to the J-R F lexicon, the opening title song is definitely the most fitting, but even "Delphia" and "Suite Sioux" express experimental elements that will go far to influence other artists dabbling in the medium. Definitely a landmark album for both Freddie and the rapid maturation of Jazz-Rock Fusion.

FREDDIE HUBBARD Straight Life (1971)

Enlisting the support of a band of jazz's new guard: the younger up-and-comers who'd paid their dues in their 20s throughout the 1960s and were now ready to break out--to prove themselves as leaders and adventurists. Here Freddie and crew test the waters of the Latin-infused fusion of jazz with some rock and pop sounds à la Miles Davis, Tony Williams, and John McLaughlin. While the boys never get too far out of their hard bop and post-bop comfort zones, they do stretch themselves from time to time with unusually aggressive dynamics (for them) and the use of some electronic instruments and effects (particularly on Herbie Hancock's electric piano and George Benson's electric guitar). To my ears, their "busting out" is more akin to the musical explorations of the past five years done by the Don Ellis Orchestra--more like wearing black sunglasses with their standard, nondescript black suits and thin black ties.

The album was recorded on November 16 of 1970 at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and then released in January of the new year by CTI Records.

Line-up/Musicians:
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Joe Henderson / saxophone
- Herbie Hancock / piano, electric piano
- George Benson / guitar
- Ron Carter / bass
- Jack DeJohnette / drums
- Weldon Irvine / tambourine
- Richie Landrum / percussion

A. "Straight Life" (17:30) fast and dynamic with lots of energy being expressed, even in the individual solos, each taken in its proper turn, of course. Great virtuosity on display but played so tightly! (30.75/35)

B1. "Mr. Clean" (13:30) has a mod, late-Sixties party feel to it, played loose and lax--like they're really letting their hair down. Everybody is playing loose and kind of in their own melody lines, all at the same time, which is/was really unusual for this time. So weird to hear Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette playing as if they couldn't care less about holding down the rhythm section, hearing George Benson and Freddie (and, to a lesser degree, Herbie) playing so loosely over, beside, and within each other's tracks. (Herbie gets on board with the fierce independent thing somewhere around the fourth or fifth minute.) This is awesome stuff! At the end of the seventh minute everybody dials it down a bit so that Herbie's electric piano solo can be heard. Respect! It does not, however, stop Richie Landrum, Ron Carter, or Jack DeJohnette from throwing Herbie a little shade. Could this solo been one of Eumir Deodato's big inspirations for his career in Jazz-Rock Fusion? George B. gets the next solo respect--for the eleventh minute. (Do I hear a little funk coming from the rhythm section?) Great song--especially for being so early in the J-R Fuse thing. (23/25)

B2. "Here's That Rainy Day" (5:10) solo plaintive trumpet--as Freddie does so well--opens this one before George Benson's chord support joins in and then, in the second minute, Ron Carter's bass. Despite the occasional sound of Jack's snare coils vibrating, the trio are the only ones represented on this one. (8.75/10)  

Total Time: 36:24

89.29 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; though registering as a near-masterpiece to me, the critic looking for Jazz-Rock Fusion, I can see how this album could be appreciated by true jazz aficionado.

FREDDIE HUBBARD First Light  (1971)

Recorded by Creed Taylor and Rudy Van Gelder at Van Gelder Studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on September 14, 15, & 16 of 1971 and then released by CTI on October 12.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Jack DeJohnette / drums
- Ron Carter / double bass
- Richard Wyands / piano
- George Benson / guitar
- Airto Moreira / percussion
- Phil Kraus / vibraphone
- Wally Kane / flute
- Hubert Laws / flute
Conducter and arranger: Don Sebesky

- George Marge / flute and bassoon
- Romeo Penque / flute, English horn and oboe
- Jane Taylor / bassoon
- Ray Alonge / French horn
- James Buffington / French horn

- Margaret Ross / harp

A1. "First Light" (11:00) nice two-chord vamp that take a minute or two to get into full gear. Once it does it becomes a very nice dance tune with some great trumpet play from Freddie. The second soloist to get a turn isn't up until the seventh minute: George Benson. If these two solos are any indication, the musicians on this album seem much more focused and driven to produce amazing music than on Freddie's last album, Straight Life. Both Freddie and George are much more dynamic, aggressive, and "show-offy" than they were on anything on Straight Life while the musicians playing in support seem to have their working orders very clearly charted out for them as they are all working very hard in support with very little flash or flourish shining through the soloists work. (Maybe a little from Jack DeJohnette, Airto, Phil Kraus, and one of the flutists.) Beautiful song! (18.75/20)

A2. "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey" (8:12) Paul McCartney's song is taken down to the bare bones and bluesified melodically, Freddie only gives the first verse its due before taking it on his own flight. There is a significant contribution from some uncredited orchestral strings here. The two minute mark results in a significant shift into a blues/R&B-jazzed-up "Admiral Halsey" section. Jack and Ron are even caught trying to funk things up (Jack's more military than you'd probably want) but Ron, George, and electric piano player Richard Wyandis are excellent at funking things up--George even stepping up to play a very aggressive jazz-structured blues solo. At 5:40 everybody cuts out for Ron to show off his groove thang before flutes, Fender, and drums join in to take us to the final minute's return to the stripped down, bare bones opening motif (again, with strings/orchestra). Interesting! And, admittedly, adventurous. (13.5/15) 

B1. "Moment To Moment" (5:40) late night bareness on this Henry Mancini-Johnny Mercer composition with vibes, bass, and Fender Rhodes supporting Freddie's plaintive trumpet play. Orchestral support from flutes/winds, harp, horns, and, later, strings. The two-motif sides to the song do not work so well for me. (8.75/10) 

B2. "Yesterday's Dreams" (3:55) like a cover of a classic 1960s movie theme, Freddie dons his muter for his trumpet play. Composer Don Sebesky's strings and orchestral enrichment are very heavy on this one, it sounds a lot like the lush music Bob James will soon be making, only still founded in the rich textures and seriousness of the 1960s. Beautiful. (9/10)

B3. "Lonely Town" (6:55) another late night majestic tune (from Leonard Bernstein's On the Town) that sounds like something from Frank Sinatra's best Ava Gardner Period music (except for the dulcet sounds of the Fender Rhodes). Great support from some masterfully arranged and recorded orchestra instruments. At 2:52 there is a sudden and pronounced shift into a more James Bond soundtrack theme and style, with bass, drums, Fender, and trumpet all stepping up to their microphones and the orchestra being pushed back into the background. Cool! though I do love the lush opening better. (13.375/15)

 

Total time: 35:42

This album exhibits quite a different sound and style from Freddie's previous album, Straight Life, in that

the use and presence of orchestration offers a whole different feel and texture to the information coming out of the speakers. Also, the soloists (mostly Freddie's trumpet and George Benson's guitar) are projected up front/top while the rest of the band members sounds have been kind of squashed into the background (sometimes with or even behind the orchestra). The lack of recognition to the individuals in the supporting rhythm section reflect not only the lack of respect for the less-than giant-like reputations (and egos) of these musicians but also the switch to a more-hierarchical distribution of power than Freddie had been using on the previous albums, Straight Life and Red Clay.  

 
90.54 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of creative and adventurous Jazz-Rock Fusion that is often on the smooth cinematic side (due, perhaps, to the lush orchestral arrangements). 

FREDDIE HUBBARD Sky Dive (1972)

Though Freddie had been collaborating for a couple of years with a group of musicians who dabbled with/ circulated on the fringes of the burgeoning Jazz-Rock "Fusion" scene--including Airto Moreira, Ron Carter, Ray Barretto, Jack DeJohnette, Hubert Laws, and, to a lesser degree, George Benson. Freddie's attempts at allowing more rock and electric elements into his stage and studio performances seemed hindered by his own allegiance to (and enjoyment of) more recent trends in jazz--like "hard bop" and "cool jazz." One problem was his relative aversion/avoidance to Latin influences like Afro-Cuban rumba and Brazilian bassa nova--two forms of popular jazz that had had huge influence in American music in the 1960s.Well, this album sees Freddie finally getting his foot in the door--thanks in no small part to his employment of Billy Cobham, Airto Moreira, and Ray Barretto--the former two of whom had been students/musicians with Miles and Carlos Santana and Joe Zawinul's Weather Report (Airto), the latter who had crossed over with the likes of Herbie Mann and Edgar Winter. This is the first album of Freddie's that I feel he has finally figured out how to fuse some of rock 'n' roll's innovations into his jazz music.

Recorded by Creed Taylor in October 4 & 5, 1972, CTI released the album in January of 1973.

Lineup / Musicians:

Freddie Hubbard / trumpet

Ron Carter / bass

Billy Cobham / drums

Kieth Jarrett / piano, electric piano

Airto Moreira / percussion

Ray Barretto / percussion

Hubert Laws / flutes [C-flute, alto flute, bass flute], all solos

Wally Kane / bass clarinet, piccolo

Don Sebesky / conductor, arranger

With:

Trumpets & flugelhorns: Alan Rubin, Marvin Stamm

Trombones: Garnett Brown, Wayne Andre, Paul Faulise [Bass Trombone]

Tuba: Tony Price

Winds: Phil Bodner [flute, alto flute, bass clarinet, piccolo]; George Marge [flute, alto flute, clarinet, bass clarinet]; Romeo Penque [flute, alto flute, clarinet, oboe, English horn]

1. "Povo" (12:33) after an introductory extract from some man's speech the band enters, settling immediately into a somewhat funky laid-back groove for the solos of George Benson, Freddie, Hubert Laws, and Keith Jarrett (electric piano). A very pretty, engaging, and well-constructed grooving piece that I enjoy from start to finish despite its standard format of turn-taking alternating singular solos over the rhythm section. It's a good thing the basic rhythm track is so good. (22.75/25)

2. "In a Mist" (7:04) sounds like an old-time classic jazz piece with small acoustic combo and some side action big band horns. No infusion of rock (or anything else) here. Keith Jarrett's piano sounds to me like Thelonius Monk. I'm really not interested in old-time jazz, just Jazz-Rock Fusion. (12.75/15)

"Naturally" (5:53) (only available on the CD release) opens up sounding like the late-night musings of a band playing for the thinning crowd of mellowing lounge drinkers. Freddie steps it up a notch with the second verse--the rest of the all-acoustic band keeping up. Hubert Laws gets the second solo on one of his flutes, during which the horn section begins to show itself with gentle accents. Guitarist George Benson is next with his jazz guitar (sans vocal mirroring)--for which the horns and winds combine to provide some dreamy, gentle support. I'm not really into this song cuz I'm looking for Jazz-Rock Fusion, not jazz.(8.5/10)   

3. "The Godfather (from the Paramount Motion Picture The Godfather)" (7:21) solo trumpet opens this one with a jazzy rendering of the well-known movie theme. Bassist Ron Carter gets the next shot--also tout seul--then pianist Keith Jarrett joins in and Ron steps into the support role as Billy Cobham's soft jazz drums (mostly brush and cymbal work) joins. Freddie returns to the lead as a bank clarinets add their support from the wings, later the horn banks. Keith Jarrett gets a nice solo in the sixth minute. Finishes off with a repeat of the solo trumpet opening. (8.5/10)

4. "Sky Dive" (7:40) a return to the world of electricity with a smooth, Latin-flavored song. Nice solos from Freddie (a really long one!), George Benson, Hubert Laws, and Keith Jarrett (again on electric piano) as well as really nice work from all of the support staff--especially Billy Cobham as well as some really smooth arrangements for horns and winds from Don Sebesky. (13.5/15)

Total time: 34:38

88.46 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a very nice jazz album with a couple of fine Jazz-Rock Fusion songs (one funk-lite, the other Latin-lite).  

MILT JACKSON Sunflower (1973)

What a lineup! Talk about a who's who of Jazz-Rock Fusion! No wonder this album is such a landmark for so many people. The material that made it to the published album was recorded on December 12 and 13, 1972, at Van Gelder Studios and then released by CTI Records in January of 1973.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Milt Jackson / vibraphone

- Ron Carter / bass
- Billy Cobham / drums
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Jay Berliner / guitars
- Ralph MacDonald / percussion
- Herbie Hancock / piano

With:
- Don Sebesky / conductor

- Phil Bodner / flute, piccolo, English horn

- Romeo Penque / flute, oboe, English horn

- George Marge / alto flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, English horn

Violin – Charles Libove, David Nadien, Elliot Rosoff, Emanuel Green, Gene Orloff, Irving Spice, Joe Malin, Max Ellen, Paul Gershman

Cello – Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken, George Ricci

- Margaret Ross / harp

A1. "For Someone I Love" (10:08) the only composition on the album by Milt Jackson, it is set amongst a rich wind of orchestration and lead by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard as the band leader confidently fills space beneath him before launching into his own solo in the third minute (which is then usurped by Herbie Hancock's piano). I feel compelled to insert a special remark on Ron Carter's bass playing--which has become quite because it's been placed so unusually far forward (and given the loudest volume in the mix): he's amazing; it's as if he's soloing, really doing the most important leading on the song. In contrast, Billy Cobham's drums (which are also a marvel to behold) have been recorded quite unceremoniously as if Billy was relegated to the garage outside the studio while the microphones recording him are in the doorway! Weird! A good vehicle for Milt, Ron, Herbie, Freddie, and conductor Don Sebesky's orchestra; not so much for Billy Cobham. (Perhaps they didn't know how to handle the hot shot drummer's volume!) (17.75/20)  

A2. "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?" (6:55) opening with a lush waves of orchestral swells, this makes me think that I'm being prepared for some great cinematic film event (the Alan & Marilyn Bergman/Michel Legrand song was, in fact, penned for the 1969 American film, The Happy Ending where it was sung by Michael Dees). There is an unmistakable similarity throughout this song to the music and melody lines of both the classic song, "Pure Imagination," from the 1971 film, Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, as well as to those of Freddie's own masterpiece, "The Love Connection"--a song that the trumpeter would be working to polish and finalize over the course of the next seven years before it would take the perfected form of the title song on his 1979 album of the same name. What I love most about this song is how it is constructed with such care that none of the instruments are walking over the others: Milt and Freddie, Ron and Billy, Herbie and the orchestra, are all perfectly balanced, spaced, and blended to make for a beautiful, even emotional rendering of this under-appreciated song. (13.875/15)

B1. "People Make The World Go Round" (8:23) oddly enough, this is another one of those songs that trumpeter Freddie Hubbard latched onto/adopted and made his own--releasing his own version of it on his own 1975 studio album, Polar AC. He had been performing it live during 1972 with his own ensemble (which probably prompted him to bring it to this recording session). I can't say that I blame him: I had become a devoté of The Stylistics when they appeared on the music scene in 1971 with the a string of hit singles, starting with the March 1971 release of "Stop, Look, Listen (to Your Heart)" and then, in May, their first Top 10 hit, "You Are Everything," which became the band's first gold single. Both of these songs became features of the band's self-titled debut album when it was released in November, but it was "Betcha, Bye Golly, Wow" and "People" that really sealed my allegiance to the Philadelphia Soul act.

     Interestingly, I do feel that Freddie's version on Polar AC is considerably better than this one: this one is just too cluttered with Milt's Vibes and a bunch of other rag-tag instruments all vying for attention as if they can't decide who are the leads and what job the support musicians should be playing. Freddie, Milt, and Herbie trading leads at the beginning starts out okay but then everybody seems to take off each in their own direction as if the master of the Easter egg hunt has just said, "Go!" Then with Herbie in the lead and Milt answering the Fender Rhodes' call with his own responses it starts to unravel and loose direction and/or traction. Billy Cobham just doesn't sound into it, I don't even hear Jay Berliner or Ralph MacDonald, so they must've been napping. Only Ron Carter is truly in the pocket--and Freddie, when he's on point--which is only about 40 percent of the time. Perhaps they hadn't had enough rehearsal/practice time, but it's just not as good as it could've been (with this lineup!) The alternating punctuation marks of Freddie with Milt are kind of cool, but then Herbie (or somebody) takes a seat at a piano and tries playing the song as if he's the only one in the spotlight. Weird. (17.5/20)  

B2. "Sunflower" (8:50) Freddie Hubbard must have either really loved this song or been very frustrated by it because I've found it on three studio albums on which he participated as well as countless live and "anthology/greatest hits" albums. The version here is nice, fairly true to Freddie's original vision, but the tandem recitation of the main melody by both Milt and Freddie, at the same time, are too much--each walking over one another: the harmonic effects of the trumpet feeling trampled upon by the broad spectrum chords of Milt's Vibraphone. The cool back-and-forth transitions into (and out of) the percussion jamming, slow ballad and up-tempo Latin, between Billy and Ralph that occurs here was not present on the 1966 Backlash original but is ramped up to perfection for the 1979 Love Connection version and done really well here, making this version a perfect medium between the two, representing, obviously, the work that Freddie's mind had put into the song's evolution. Here we have flutist Phil Bodner playing the flute but in a far reduced capacity than the essential role that James Spaulding had fulfilled on Backlash--Milt's Vibes taking the place of Spaulding's flute, whereas on the 1979 version there are no vibes with the flute being returned to the palette courtesy of Joe Farrell. I also love the work of both Herbie's understated Fender Rhodes electric piano and Margaret Ross' harp, both playing important roles in the background--until Herbie hops onto the piano bench for another solo in the fourth minute. Don Sebesky's orchestra strings begin to play a key role in the final two minutes, which actually works because the strings are used in spaces between lead instruments' phrases. All in all, this is a very good version with all parties and all elements of the sound palette performing on levels deserving of superlatives. (19/20)

Total time 41:59

90.83 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of lushly-orchestrated Jazz-Rock Fusion that previews the Smooth Jazz that would ascend to the top of the commercially-viable Jazz music by the end of the decade. 

FREDDIE HUBBARD Keep Your Soul Together (1973)

Creed Taylor and his production crew are on a roll: showing that they know how to make money (and gain radio airplay) with the new "jazz-rock" instrumental musics--and Freddie Hubbard is open to trying--and his band up to the task!

Line-up / Musicians:

- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn 

- Kent Brinkley / bass, electric bass
- Ron Carter / bass, electric bass

- Ralph Penland / drums
- George Cables  / electric piano 

- Aurell Ray / guitar
- Juno Lewis / other [Dahka-doom, Dahka-de-bello] 
- Junior Cook / tenor saxophone

A1. "Brigitte" (9:07) a song that Freddie would protect and promote in future concerts and albums (absolutely perfected on 1979's Love Connection), that here incorporates Ron Carter's bass as the central focal point of the song--with electric piano, percussion, and, later, drums very much revolving around the bass. Freddie's lead trumpet exists as if standing on top of or outside of the thin and lush bass-cored sonosphere playing beneath him. Still, this is a finely-crafted, beautifully-painted version of a great song. No wonder it became such a standard for him. Nice performances by the bass players as well as George Cables on Fender Rhodes. (18.25/20)

A2. "Keep Your Soul Together" (9:52) on this song Freddie tries to express his own perspective/interpretation/vision for the potential of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement. The song's instrumental/sound palette is without a doubt reflective of the influence the recent popularity of Deodato's "Also Sprach Zarathustra -2001" and Prelude--both of which came out earlier in they 1973 and which were recorded and produced by the very same production team that Keep Your Soul Together is being produced. I think that the jazz world--and especially the money-conscious record companies like Creed Taylor's unit here--had become quite enamored of the idea of making money--making a living--at creating and promoting the music they loved. The sound Freddie (and engineer Rudy Van Gelder) pulled out of these sessions is, therefore, in my opinion, no mistake. And, since it is a sound that I love, it is no mistake that I really like this song. (18.5/20)

B1. "Spirits Of Trane" (9:07) a fast-cruisin' song that reminds me of the sounds and pacings of some of the songs on MILES DAVIS' landmark Jazz-Fusion albums--particularly Bitches Brew and Jack Johnson. Freddie produces a great, spirited solo in the second and third minutes and is then followed by an equally energetic performance from tenor saxophone player Junior Cook--all the while the rhythm section providing more than enough fuel to keep everyone flowing. But then, at the 4:30 mark there is a slow down and clear out to make way for George Cables to solo on the Fender Rhodes--while the band switches to a cool walking-bass blues motif for a bit, but then switches back to the rapid cruise pace--all while George is soloing over the top! Great stuff! At 6:30 then we hear another clear out so that drummer Ralph Penland can have some spotlight: a nice solo that ends with some rudimentary play before the full band rejoins to finish at the fast-cruisin' speed--but, no! After the band dissintegrates, Freddie continues playing, tout seul, before the band rejoin to pull off a "big finish." (17.5/20)

B2. "Destiny's Children" (10:19) anchored with some cool, laid back R&B bass play and some LENNY WHITE-sounding drum play, the band leader is freed up to explore lots of melody ideas up top (because the bass 'n' drums have such a solid offering down below). The song might even exist without anyone else's contributions but Ralph, Kent, Ron, and Freddie, but George Cables does provide some nice textural "filler" as well as an okay solo in the seventh minute (using some unusual warble effects on his electric piano). This is my favorite song in terms of the playing of the core rhythmatists--especially Ralph Penland. It's also got some nice harmonizing play from Junior Cook's tenor sax in the final few minutes. A great rhythm track like this makes ten minutes fly right by--even when the solos aren't quite mind-blowingly great. (18/20)

Total time: 38:27

Keep Your Soul Together displays Freddie's deepening commitment to the electronic enhancements available at this time (and being explored much more aggressively by other jazz musicians) while not fully or crazily moving into that "psychedelic" world. Drummer Ralph Penland almost seems to be more of a follower than hard-line leader of the rhythm section: his play seems to respond/react to the play of the others more than set the pace and terms--yet he's completely solid. It seems that the basses are the motivators, George Cables the glue that holds them all together, and Freddie the driver up top. I really like the way Freddie has bought into the Jazz-Rock Fusion scene. Four songs, four great contributions to the peaking era of Second Wave J-R Fusion.

90.31 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion and one of Freddie Hubbard's finest contributions to the new musical movement.

FREDDIE HUBBARD High Energy (1974)

Employing pretty much the same lineup as the previous album, Freddie decided to try his luck with a new record company (Columbia)--even going so far as taking his band to the West Coast to record the next album.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn

- Kent Brinkley / bass
- Joe Sample / clavinet, organ

- Dale Oehler / conductor, arranged by

- King Errisson / congas

- Ralph Penland / drums

- George Cables / electric piano
- Junior Cook / flute, tenor saxophone (solo on B3)

- Dean Parks / guitar

- Victor Feldman / percussion

- Ian Underwood / synthesizer [Arp]

- Carmello Garcia / timbales

- Harvey Mason / drums (A2, B1)

- Ernie Watts / flutes (A1, B3), soprano sax (solo on B2)

- Dick Hyde / trombones (solo on B1)

- Pete Christleib / bass clarinet (B2), sax (B3)

- George Bohanon / trombones

A1. "Camel Rise" (6:23) long sustained notes issued from Freddie and his horn section open this before a SANTANA-like wide assortment of collaborators jump into the fray. The expanded lineup and sound palette on this George Cables song sounds great: again, very SANTANA-like--even allowing for some funky wah-wah guitar and keyboard soloing over the percussion-rich rhythm section. Kent Brinkley does a fine job handling the bass duties on his own (on the previous album he was supported/doubled up by veteran Ron Carter--who was expressing more and more his distaste for the electric bass, his preference for the good old stand-up double bass) and the multiple keyboards and multiple horns playing a little more loosely than in standard big band formation. Nice Latin flavors like a Herb Alpert, Eumir Deodato, or Burt Bacharach easy listening tune even though the palette is so busy and full. (9.125/10)

 
A2. "Black Maybe" (4:58) a late night contemplative tune (originally penned by Steve Wonder for his then-wife's 1972 album, Syreeta) that presents minimal support from bass, synth, and percussion and beautiful melodic flugelhorn play from Freddie. One of his most deeply connecting performances. With George Cables' Fender Rhodes play this could very well have been the template Vanegelis was using when creating "Blade Runner Blues" for the Blade Runner original soundtrack--and certainly the palette that Jack Elliott and The "New American Orchestra" (called "The Big 'O'" for its existence as the music producer for The Academy Awards ceremonies for 30 years) used for their Warner Brothers Studios-sanctioned version of the same song that they covered in order to produce the first public release of Blade Runner soundtrack-inspired music, which was published in 1982. (Vangelis did not release his own "official" OST until 1994 and his preferred "Final Cut" version in 2007.) Nice orchestration by David Oehler. (9.33333/10)

A3. "Baraka Sasa" (10:29) an awesome theatric opening on this Freddie Hubbard original leads into a funky DEODATO-like mid-speed motif that fully-displayed the multiple keyboards (clavinet, synths, Fender Rhodes), complex arrangements for the professional horn section, and fully-stocked percussion section. This awesome groove provides the support for some cool experimental trumpet soloing in which Freddie and his engineers play with some long delay, echo, and slow-fade effects--all the while a outer-spacey synth oscillates its tone like someone searching the radio for stations using their old hand dial. Big kudos to bassist Kent Brinkley, conga player King Errisson, Joe Sample's clavinet work, and Ralph Penland's drumming as well as Ian Underwood's spacey ARP play and Freddie's trumpeting. A very tight and well-performed high-quality composition even if the chorus comes up short in terms of hooking the listener. (18.25/20) 

B1. "Crisis" (5:44) this song--which is another Freddie Hubbard original--is funky and sassy with Kent Brinkley's bass, Joe Sample's clavinet, Ralph Penland's drumming, and Dean Parks' amazing rhythm guitar work. Dale Oehler's orchestra contribution is also significant (though I think the song would be better off without the orchestral strings) (the horns are great), and Freddie and Junior Cook take full advantage of the mood and encouragement to produce some great solos. (9/10)

B2. "Ebony Moonbeams" (6:55) the album's second George Cables composition proves to be a sophisticated Latin-jazz tune with several tempo, stylistic, and motif changes throughout its seven minute length. The flow and suite-like feel are interesting and admirable but, like a lot of the George Cables melody making that I've heard, his gift for creating major melodic hooks is in the middling range. It's pleasant enough but it's nothing special enough to write home about.  (13.333/15)

B3. "Too High" (6:37) another cover of a Stevie Wonder song (from Innervisions). It's funky, and jazzy with its horn arrangements, but the bass line, drum, percussion, and horn hits, for me, completely loose the staccato "punch" power that Stevie's original had. I like Freddie's solo work--both the experimental sound effect use and the straightforward play--but the rest is, for me, just missing the mark--and the only other soloists are sax players Junior Cook and Pete Christleib, in the middle. (8.75/10) 

Total time: 41:06

Freddie is definitely on board with a full and serious commitment to sophisticated Jazz-Rock Fusion--and he's definitely got the funk working on all ofthise songs. 

91.56 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of peak era Jazz-Rock Fusion.

FREDDY HUBBARD Polar AC (1975)

A new genre of "Quiet Storm" radio shows was increasing the listeners' exposure to "Jazz Lite" music like this. Despite the fact that Freddie had left Creed Taylor and CTI Records in 1974 (or perhaps because of their separation), Creed's label decided to throw together an album of previously-unreleased songs from recording sessions Freddie had had with Creed and Rudy Van Gelder dating back as far as 1971. (September 16, 1971, for "Polar AC," April 12, 1972 for "People Make the World Go Round" and "Betcha By Golly, Wow," October 4 & 5, 1972 for "Naturally," and October 5 and/or 23, 1973 for "Son of Sky Dive.") Hence, Polar AC was released on April 18, 1975.

Since 1969, the veteran trumpeter had been somewhat fickle about getting on board the jazz-rock fusion train. Here we have a collection of songs that are representative of a large span of Freddie's early dabbles, parading a virtual who's who of proven Jazz musicians who had also proven quite willing and curious to experiment with these new sound palettes and song dynamics. I originally purchased this album precisely because of the large number of collaborating artists listed on the album's credits (I had been getting hugely into Bob James, the Laws brothers, and Ron Carter during this period), but also due to the fact that Freddy was covering two of my all-time favorite soul/R&B songs, both made famous by The Stylistics: "People Make the World Go Round" and "Bethca By Golly, Wow." With his rendition of the former, Freddie made the best version of the song I've ever heard: here, on Polar AC.

1. "Polar AC" (6:57) a Cedar Walton tune covered with the help of Jack DeJohnette on drums. (13.125/15)

2. "People Make the World Go Round" (5:50) Lenny White is the drummer on this one. A personal favorite. (10/10)

3. "Betcha By Golly, Wow" (8:09) a good song that actually gets better when Freddie starts to take liberties with the melody lines. (13.5/15)

4. "Naturally" (5:52) a Cannonball Adderly song helped out by Billy Cobham. The song even sounds like a nostalgic look back into the post-My Favorite Things 1960s. Even Hubert Laws' flute feels so Sixties. Pleasant and melodic with very solid traditional jazz play (and sounds) from Freddie's supporting musicians. (8.875/10)

5. "Son of Sky Dive" (13:20) a reconditioning of the title song from one of Freddie's first attempts to foray into the Jazz-Rock Fusion idiom--a more latin rhythm form released in 1972 on which he used a lineup that included Billy Cobham, Airto Moreira, Ray Barretto, Ron Carter, Keith Jarrett, Hubert Laws, and George Benson. This one's better. Lenny White was pretty good, too. Sounds and plays out like "Love Connection Version 1." I absolutely LOVE Lenny White's drum play as well as Ron Carter's bass and keyboard support from George Gables. This is great modern-day jazz without collapsing into the quagmire of an abyss of "Smooth Jazz." (27.5/30) 

Total time: 40:08

90.0 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion.

FREDDIE HUBBARD Liquid Love (1975)

 My all-time favorite Jazz/Jazz-Rock Fusion trumpeter seems to have this special ability to always stay in the pocket, to slide around among his collaborators in a way that issues forth a kind of glue that makes everything around him work as well perform with an ease that seems to project an amazing sense of centeredness in knowing who he is and what he's capable of. I don't always love the arrangements or instrumental sound palettes of the songs he oversees but I always love the trumpet/flugelhorn performances that he gives. Always. And this is especially true when he plays with the members of Miles Davis' "Second Great Quintet": I much prefer his playing over that of Miles, Art Farmer, Randy Brecker, Donald Byrd, Dizzy Gillespie, Chet Baker, or even Don Ellis or Lee Morgan. Liquid Love was released by Columbia Records in July of 1975.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet 

- Henry Franklin / bass 

- Carl Burnett / drums

- Johnny "Guitar" Watson / guitar

- Ray Parker / guitar

- George Gables / keyboards 

- Myuto Correa / percussion 

- Buck Clark / congas

- Carl Randall Jr. / saxophone 
- Ian Underwood / synthesizer 

- Al Hall / trombone

With: 

- Chuck Rainey / bass (A2) 

- Spider Webb Drums / (A2)

A1. "Midnight At The Oasis" (5:30) opening with a well-known, well-loved recent romantic classic results in something that is a bit flat, a bit disappointing. I think it's the strings, Freddie's dampened/muted trumpet, the volume of the bass and the distraction of the multiple electric guitars. When the funky turn happens around the two-minute mark thing spick up as the source material gets overshadowed by the excellent whole-band jam they get into--especially the role of the horn section--but even Freddie's sound and enthusiasm ramps up a notch or two with this switch--and, great decision: this new motif plays out almost to the end despite Freddie's return to recapitulation of the main melody line. (8.875/10)

A2. "Put It In The Pocket" (4:20) great mid-70s R&B with some awesome rhythm guitar interplay between Wah Wah Watson and Ray Parker. My only complaint with this one mirrors the previous song: the synthesizer strings are a weak and, in my opinion, completely unnecessary addition. Even the group chant vocals of the title line are completely fitting, just not those strings. (9/10)

A3. "Lost Dreams" (12:30) I love the crisp drumming of Carl Burnett and the enriching percussion play of Myuto Correa and Buck Clark. Carl Randall's sax play is just fair, doesn't match up to Freddie's horn play, and the clavinet and rhythm guitar play are tucked sadly underneath where they could be. (I didn't even know George Cables played anything other than piano and/or electric piano!) The bass line gets a little old despite the drummer's excellent job of trying to keep it interesting. There are some familiar tricks and melody lines here from Freddie's future composition, "The Love Connection" (my favorite Freddie song of all-time). Those first two minutes are so good, though, so tight: it's almost Third Wave Power Fusion these guys are producing. George's clavinet solo in the third minute is excellent, buoyed by the amazing groove of the rhythm section beneath him and then contrasted briefly by Ian Underwood's imitative synth play in the next minute. Enter Carl Randall, Jr. with his tenor sax--which is nothing very special but does nothing to spoil the great groove going on beneath him (though, as mentioned, the bass line starts feeling a little over-used). Thank god for those percussionists! At 7:04 there is a key change to signal a shift in motif and tempo: faster with a bouncier clavinet and more active metal percussion with diminished presence of the rhythm guitars for a bit while Freddie solos with some kind of treatment distorting his screaling trumpet. Here is where the monotonous bass line becomes problematic--but enter new/different percussion and keyboard/clavinet approaches and we take a little pressure off of the bass player (and, again, thank goodness for this amazing drummer!) The biggest mystery for me is what happened to the guitarists? Were they doing something so hideous that they were faded out of the mix? Despite all my complaints this is actually quite an interesting and satisfying listening experience. (22.5/25)

B1. "Liquid Love" (5:47) What?!? This isn't the Isley Brother's song?! It's a Freddie Hubbard original?! I do love it despite the two-chord vamp of the main body of the verses and the familiar "Love Connection"-like structure and performance. (I understand how and why artists are continually reworking or borrowing from their own material. To Freddie's benefit: his more mature versions of songs he wrote when he was younger--like "Sky Dive," "Sunflower," or "Brigitte," one can capture the essence and expand upon it with more bang for your buck as one matures and learns that which is important and what is not.) My favorite song on the album. (9.333/10)

B2. "Yesterday's Thoughts" (3:41) the album's late-night ballad is anchored by lounge piano, synth strings, and jazz lounge drums and bass for the first two minutes as Freddie solos plaintively, but then there is a tempo change as Carl and Henry ramp it up for a bit (less than a minute!) but then everybody falls back into the late-night for the finish. Nice if a little rough with the brief uptempo fit. (9/10)

B3. "Kuntu" (13:21) African hand percussion opens this as Ian Underwood's synthetic winds blow into the sonosphere. Then the jazz band jumps into the fold, settling into an awesome groove from the very first bar--and the African percussion and synth add-ons stay! Horns and electric piano accent the passages between soloists--the first of which is Freddie--but then a prolonged crescendo of frantic drumming bridges us into what feels like a more serious groove: same instrumental palette, they're just playing with much more focus, more insistence--over which Freddie blows while Ian and George echo accents off of his echoed trumpetings. At 5:20 things seem to get reigned in for a bit, but then Carl Burnett and the percussion crew go off again, searching for the perfect tribal dance expression, vacillating back and forth a few times before Freddie and the band crescendo before leaving things open for Carl Randall to solo on his tenor sax. Still the percussion, drums, and now electric piano, continue their polyrhythmic, polyphonic search for their perfect groove, the perfect entrainment vehicle. The wavers between styles and rhythmic structures continues to waver all over the place while the relative pace stays pretty constant. This is really complex music! More than the lead melody makers, I can't stop being entranced by the rhythm corps! Then, in the middle of the 11th minute, the band suddenly stops, leaving Buck Clark and Myuto Correa as the lone musicians playing--still expressing those African tribal roots--which lasts for a full minute before Carl Burnett and the rest of the band rejoin. This is not a great vehicle for Freddie or any of the lead instrumentalists but it is a monster rendering of exceedingly complex percussion/rhythm! My other favorite song. (27.75/30)   

Total Time: 45:15

91.09 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; an excellent collection of well-crafted if slightly-flawed songs that culminate in a minor masterpiece of Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion.

FREDDIE HUBBARD Windjammer (1976)

Released in August of 1976. The album contains two Freddie Hubbard originals (the final two), two covers of recent chart-topping pop songs (the first two), and two songs penned by contemporary fellows in Jazz-Rock Fusion's early Smooth Jazz movement (the middle two).

Line-up / Musicians:
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn 

- Gary King / bass 

- Ralph MacDonald / percussion

- Bob James / electric piano [Fender Rhodes], piano, organ [Yamaha Yc 30], clavinet, synthesizer [Arp] 

- George Cables / electric piano [Fender Rhodes], clavinet 

- Mike Brecker / tenor saxophone

- Hubert Laws / flute 

- Dave Spinozza / guitar (A1, A2, B1)

- Eric Gale / guitar (A1, A2, B1)

- Andy Newmark / drums (A1, A2, B1)

- Jerry Freidman / guitar (A3)

- Richie Resnicoff / guitar (A3, B2)

- Chris Parker / drums (A3, B2)

- Steve Khan / (A3, B2, B3)

- Steve Gadd / drums (B3)

- Ray Mantilla / percussion (B3)

With:

- Phil Bodner / flute [alto] 
- Wally Kane / bassoon, flute

- George Marge / oboe, flute [alto], English horn 
- Wayne Andre / trombone 
Trombones: Alan Raph, Dave Taylor
Trumpets: Bernie Glow, Jon Faddis, Lew Soloff, Marvin Stamm
Violas: Alfred Brown, Emanuel Vardi
Violins: Charles Libove, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Harry Cykman, Harry Lookofsky, Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen, Max Pollikoff, Paul Gershman, Richard Sortomme

Cellos: Charles McCracken, Jesse Levy

Backing Vocals: Frank Floyd, Gwen Guthrie, Patti Austin, Vivian Cherry, Zach Sanders

A1. "Dream Weaver" (5:26) a cover of the hit single by electronic pop artist Gary Wright opens with a pretty cool, funky motif that, knowing Gary Wright's original, I'd never have guessed would have anything to do with Gary's version. And this continues: the funkified music with Gospell chant vocalists, heavy use of spacious syncopation from George Cables' clavinet, Gary King's bass, and Eric Gale and Save Spinozza's guitars (as well as sophisticated horn section and Andy Newmark's drumming) makes for fecund territory for Freddie and the choir and horn section to add so much. Though I like the original song this is supposedly covering, I love the ballsy arrangement Freddie & his team have come up with more! Very rich! (9.375/10) 

A2. "Feelings" (5:56) an instrumental cover of the chart-topping hit by Morris Albert. Again, as with "Dream Weaver," I really like the fact that Freddie has pretty much made it his own--eschewing the sappy syrup that made the original such a bubble-gum hit (and future Adult Contemporary standard). The funky rhythm track created by Gary King, Andy Newmark, Bob James, George Cables, Ralph MacDonald, Dave Spinozza and Eric Gale is so wonderfully nuanced that neither Freddie's rather smooth and ethereal lead up top or the orchestration beneath can spoil the funky groove. My wife thinks that this version of the song sounds like a soundtrack of a bird mating ritual. (9/10)

 
A3. "Rock Me Arms" (5:51) disco, a little on the cheesy side, with two tempos and, at times, multiple lead lines flowing over one another (partly due to the contributions of the vocal choir, the horn section, and the orchestra strings. There is definitely a Bob James feel to this, but I can't help but admit how impressed I am with the sophisticated arrangement and production that Bob gives this tune! Impressive! While I'd never call this a "great" song, it is a very impressive creation! (9/10)

B1. "Touch Me Baby" (7:05) a Bob James composition that yet again exhibits an extraordinary level of sophistication throughout its many layers. The inputs of the horn section, the choir, bass lines, synthesizer riffs, and Ralph MacDonald's percussion are so perfect! And Mike Brecker's tenor sax playing is actually stunningly good while Freddie could schmooze a bottle of wine from a street person--even playing in a Herb Alpert fashion (and sound effect) as he does here. (13.5/15)

B2. "Neo Terra (New Land)" (5:01) Gary King is a very good bass player but not a great slap-bass player, which is sad cuz it immediately detracts from the potential that this Freddie Hubbard original might have had. The orchestration and horn arrangements fit pretty well into the very sophisticated, slightly-Latinized funk rhythm track (aided also by some rather stunning drumming from Chris Parker--someone who was heretofore unknown to me--probably due to the fact that most of his credits pigeon-hole him as a session player for many top-tier pop artists--like Bonnie Raitt, Don McLean, Barry Manilow, Maria Muldaur as well as bluesman Paul Butterfield). (8.875/10)

B3. "Windjammer" (4:59) this Freddie original seems to be borrowing its inspiration from Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead" as well as much of the new sounds being discovered on the latest synthesizer technologies. I like Mike Brecker's treated-sax very much: at first I thought it must've been Tom Scott but it's not; it's a great improvement on the one that David Sanborn became known to use around this time. Another great groovin' J-R F tune that seems to work well with the influences of Disco, "Fly, Robin. Fly"-like Pop-Funk, and the pressures to produce commercially-viable "Smooth Jazz." (9.125/10)

Total Time: 34:28

One of my heroes is losing his way! The lure of commercial success and popular recognition is winning him over! However, all is not lost as the arrangements and renderings here are all so surprisingly daring! The level of layered sophistication nurtured (and allowed) by producer, arranger, conductor Bob James is so impressive that I wonder why he was not able to muster up these kind of cajones for his other projects. While the influence/influx of Disco era sounds and stylings is not my favorite era of Jazz-Rock Fusion, the music here has been rendered thus while still retaining a remarkable degree of jazzy sophistication. 

90.58 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of highly-sophisticated, if time-locked music that represents the very best of of what Jazz artists could offer to this increasingly-pressured-to-be-commercially-relevant era of music production. Mega kudos to Bob James for allowing the Jazz to have such stellar representation in this era of watered down music. 

V.S.O.P. The Quintet (1977)

Line-up / Musicians:
- Herbie Hancock / keyboards
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet
- Tony Williams / drums
- Ron Carter / bass
- Wayne Shorter / tenor and soprano saxophones

An October 1977 release from Columbia Records of material gleaned from two live concert performances: one at the Greek Theatre at the University of California-Berkeley, on July 16, 1977; the other at the San Diego Civic Theatre on July 18, 1977. The whole "V.S.O.P." (Very Special One-time Performance) phenomenon was a huge hit in the mid-Seventies. It started out as a recording of a very special concert performance in which Herbie convinced most of the members of three of the phases of his own musical career to re-unite on stage: Miles Davis' "Second Great Quintet," of which he'd been a part during the 1963-1969 period, his "Mwandishi" lineup that existed from 1971 into 1973 (producing three studio albums: Mwandishi, Crossings, and Sextant), and his funky, electronic "Head Hunters" lineup that toured and produced three albums from 1973-75 (Head Hunters, Thrust, and Man-Child). The first V.S.O.P. album from 1976 contained material from a concert in which all three lineups occupied the stage at various points in the show. The Miles "Second Great Quintet" set (with Freddie sitting in place of Miles) was such a success--such a hit for its refreshing return and resuscitation of a much beloved and much feared "lost" era of Jazz, that Herbie (and Columbia Records) decided to issue a second release a year later--a double album--with more content from those performances. Highly recommended--especially if you enjoy the advancing Hard Bop music of the 1960s. Freddie is awesome.

FREDDIE HUBBARD Bundle of Joy (1977)

Three Freddie Hubbard originals ("Bundle of Joy," "Tucson Stomp," and "Rahsann") and five covers of other pop songs that were released as the Bundle of Joy album released by Columbia Records in July of 1977.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Freddie Hubbard / trumpets, flugelhorn
- Curtis Robertson, Jr. / bass

- Eric Ward / bass

- Henry Davis / bass
- Carlos Vega / drums

- Ed Greene / drums

- Fred Alexander / drums
- David T. Walker / guitars, [soloist] (A1)
- Michael Stanton / keyboards
- David Garfield / keyboards [all solos], celesta [celeste] 
- Paulinho Da Costa / percussion
- Bob Zimmitti / percussion

- Tommy Vig / percussion
Backing Vocals [Background Vocalist] – Dee Ervin, Julia Tillman Waters, Maxine Willard Waters, Pat Henderson, Venetta Fields

With:

- Bert DeCoteaux / conductor

- Bill Henderson / concertmaster [of strings]
- Dorothy Ashby / harp [soloist] (A3)

- Bill Green / tenor saxophone, flute
- Ernie Watts / tenor saxophone [soloist] (B2), flute [alto]
- David Sherr / oboe

- Azar Lawrence / tenor saxophone, [soloist] (B1)

- Ernie Fields, Jr. / baritone saxophone

- Marilyn L. Robinson / French horn

Trumpet [other trumpets]: Bobby Bryant, Nolan Smith, Snooky Young

Trombones: Garnet Brown, George Bohanon

Guitars: Craig McMullen, Jay Graydon, Rick Littlefield

A1. "Bundle Of Joy" (5:36) Freddie and his team must have thought a lot of this song to open the album with it. It opens cinematically before settling into a Love Unlimited "Love's Theme" kind of groove--with much more active Barry White strings and horn section and more of Freddie's "practice"/build up to his "Love Connection" masterpiece. It's just a little too old-style big band/orchestra dominated for me--and too much like "Love's Theme" underneath. Freddie's flugelhorn sounds a bit different--like it's bigger: more like a trombone. David T. Walker's credited guitar solo is quite disappointing: both surprisingly short and totally underwhelming. (8.75/10)

A2. "Rainy Day Song" (3:58) a broad spectrum lineup of orchestra- and choir-dominated vocals over a pedestrian pop-rock near-Disco 4/4 tempo renders this one just too schlocky for my favor. Freddie often allows his horn to be immersed within the fabric of the overall weave, which is really a no-no for frontmen like him. (8.6667/10) 

A3. "Portrait Of Jenny" (6:20) lush harp play opens this, over which Freddie enters, establishing a very delicate and subtly-nuanced horn melody to cover this old-time (1948) classic from J.R. Robinson. A beautiful performance made even better by the bare-bones arrangement (harp and vibraphone). One of my top three songs for the album. (9.125/10)

A4. "From Now On" (4:38) opening like a Gloria Gaynor/Donna Summer Disco Queen song before Freddie steps into the spotlight. I'm not fond of the reverb being used on Freddie's horn while no one else is receiving the same treatment. The music really allows the listener to hear several of the multiple instrument groups: the multiple guitarists, the multiple bass players, the multiple horns in the horn section, as well as the multiple drum and percussion players. The melodies and strings and vocal arrangements on this Bunny Sigler-by-way-of-Lou Rawls song, however, render it just too familiar--too much like a familiar Disco tune. (8.75/10)

B1. "Tucson Stomp" (4:42) the second of Freddie's original compositions is funky, it's grounded more in Jazz traditions than those of the current or recent pop scene. The basses, rhythm guitars, and horn section play a much more focused roll on the Funk instead of the Adult Contemporary sound, which I much prefer and appreciate. Azar Lawrence's credited sax solo in the fourth minute is not only brief but ends up being drowned/usurped by Freddie's joinder halfway in. It's a fun song to listen to for the fact that there is so much going on--so many musicians making interesting contributions. (8.875/10)

B2. "Rahsann" (6:37) the third and final original contribution of Freddie's to the album starts out kind of dreamy--like steam rising out of the subway staircase. But then the smooth jazziness emerges and we have a slowed down, smooth version/variation of that which will become his greatest song of all-time, 1979's "The Love Connection." (It is rather amazing how many times Freddie has reworked this song, these melodies, the complementary instrumental arrangements and tempo/groove.) Ernie Watts' sax solo in the fourth minute is the first (and only--other than Dorothy Ashby's harp on "Portrait of Jenny") to be given enough length to have some substance and make its mark. Great piano presence and great Burt Bacharach/Bob James-like chord progressions in the verse sections. The best, most well-contrived and rendered song on the album. A top three. (9/10)

B3. "I Don't Want To Lose You" (4:02) opens with oboe over a pasty palette and motif that sounds like something that was lifted from a Hallmark Children's Hour afternoon special (or Anne Murray/Maureen McGovern song). (8.75/10)

B4. "From Behind" (4:56) opens with a fully-potentialized EWF.Bobby Caldwell-like smooth funk palette and sound, which is amplified satisfyingly by Freddie's opening notes. But then it goes all Bob James schmaltzy for the second part--but then it quickly turns into a little more fun with some Latin percussion and gorgeous French Riviera feeling arrangements. In the third minute David Garfield is given a nice chunk of time in which to deliver a beautiful little Fender Rhodes solo. Nice! Then we're back to the late-night funk of the opening before shifting into second (and, soon, the third, Latinized) gear per the song's prescribed construct. Nice finish (even though it's a fadeout). A top three song for me. (9/10)

Total Time: 41:18

With this album I feel that Freddie has gone too far over to the orchestra-supported Adult Contemporary/ Smooth Jazz world--sounding more like big stage production Burt Bacharach music than either Jazz or Jazz-Rock

88.65 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a nice contribution of Adult Contemporary music. 

FREDDIE HUBBARD Super Blue (1978)

I'm finally figuring out Freddie's predilection for working and re-working his favorite melody lines and constructs over and over, through many different songs, as he hones it into the "final" form that his spirit is driving him (relentlessly) toward. I liken it to American poet Walt Witman's near obsession with working and reworking his masterwork, Leaves of Grass over the course of his lifetime, culminating in six editions released between 1855 and 1992. The material for Super Blue was recorded in New York at the CBS Recording Studios over four sessions in March and April of 1978 and then released to the public by Columbia Records on June 16, 1978.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn
- Joe Henderson / tenor saxophone (A1, A2, A3, B3)
- Hubert Laws / flutes (A1, A2, B1, B2, B3)
- Kenny Barron / acoustic piano, keyboards
- Ron Carter / bass
- Jack DeJohnette / drums
- George Benson / guitar (A2)
- Dale Oehler / additional keyboards (A1)

A1. "Super Blue" (7:50) a pseudo-funky tune with some pretty nice drumming (if a bit too flamboyant) and weird bass sounds over which trumpet, tenor sax and flutes share time as lead melody makers. It's hard for me to imagine the anti-electric bass Ron Carter playing this funked up, heavily-treated bass line--which leads me to surmise that it's being generated by Dale Oehler's "other keyboards" or something Kenny Barron is playing. (According to Google's AI I am exactly correct: it's producer Dale Oehler's "additional keyboards" mirroring Ron's double bass play, note for note, on an over dubbed track.) Isn't Jack great (despite sounding as if he's bored out of his mind.) (13.25/15)

A2. "To Her Ladyship" (6:01) flutes, cymbal play, and George Benson guitar open this one before Fender Rhodes and trumpet enter. The first of Freddie's four original compositions finds the trumpeter taking the first lead, though he is backed harmonically by Joe Henderson's tenor sax, and then Joe and then (a surprisingly bare-toned) George in the fourth and fifth minutes. Nice tune with more of Freddie's familiar melody lines being worked through over the course of the song. (8.75/10)

A3. "Take It To The Ozone" (7:01) The instrumental palette here sounds pretty standard hard bop Jazz with piano, double bass, drums, tenor sax, and trumpet (no flute, guitar, or additional keyboards). It's a nice 1970s Hard Bop tune with some very demanding whole-band riffing and fast-paced legato lines. The soloists start out with Kenny Barron's piano, moving to Freddie's flugelhorn, then Joe Henderson's tenor sax while Ron and Jack hold down the rhythm track with admirable composure--Jack even given a solo in the sixth and seventh minutes. A truly impressive display of precision Jazz and camaraderie. (14/15)

B1. "The Gospel Truth" (4:59) somehow Kenny Barron is playing both barrel-hall piano and church organ from the opening moments of this while Freddie plays flugelhorn, Ron and Jack hold down the beat, and Hubert Laws and possibly Dale Oehler or Jack De Johnette add the flute and tambourine, respectively. Not my favorite--either in terms of performance, design, or feel. (8.667/10)

B2. "The Surest Things Can Change" (6:20) an incredibly comforting and beautiful song that was originally composed by Jazz-Pop artist Gino Vannelli. Kenny Barron's dreamy Fender Rhodes and Hubert Laws' equally fluttery flute help provide the fluffy bed for Ron and Jack to drive while Freddie does his own Johnathan Livingston Seagull soaring above and within the clouds. Hubert gets a turn to add his own to the fourth minute before Freddie jumps back in with a more sharp and dynamic horn (probably his flugelhorn). (There is no Joe Henderson present on this one.) Definitely a song worth revisiting many times. So pacifying. (9.3333/10)

B3. "Theme For Kareem" (6:07) another hard core 1970s-slanted Hard Bop tune to celebrate the geniius of NBA basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Solos move from Joe Henderson's tenor sax to Freddie's crisp trumpet to Kenny's dynamic piano to Ron's funky double bass back to the whole-band recitation of the main theme. (9/10)

Total time 38:18

The V.S.O.P. concert dates and recording sessions must have knocked some sense back into Freddie as this is as far removed as the band leader has been from the commercial trends that have dominated the 1970s: he's gone back to his Hard Bop roots in a big way and I, for one, am glad. Though I respect his journey through the materialistic temptations of the jungle of 1970s capitalist Pop Culture, I think his talents and skills are much better served in the preservation and fuel for the great achievements of acoustic Jazz. 

90.0 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; as a representative of the new-found Renaissance of Classic Acoustic Jazz this is as dynamic of a masterpiece as Herbie Hancock's V.S.O.P. stuff; as a representative of peak era Jazz-Rock Fusion it has some excellent elements and passages but overall it's not a great go-to album.  

FREDDIE HUBBARD The Love Connection (1979)

At the time I was so into Chick Corea and had become a very recent fan of Al Jarreau. Plus, beautiful album cover. After buying the record it a was the amazing orchestration of Claus Ogerman that kept drawing me back in--the same man and lush sound that supported Diana Krall's work in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Even though this album is mostly a collection of re-worked and expanded versions of some of Freddie's earlier works, every version of an older song is ten times better than the previous version. Material for the album was gathered from recording sessions in February and March of 1979 and then released by Columbia Records on July 28, 1979.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn

- Chick Corea / keyboards

- Chuck Damonico / bass

- Stanley Clarke / bass (A1)

- Chester Thompson / drums

- Al Jarreau / vocals (B1)

- Jumma Santos / percussion

- Rubens Bassini / percussion 

- Claus Ogerman / orchestra conductor, arranger

- Guy Lumia / concertmaster

- Buddy Collette / tenor saxophone, flute

- Ernie Watts / tenor saxophone, flute

- Joe Farrell / tenor saxophone, flute

- Tom Scott / tenor saxophone, flute

- Chuck Findley / trumpet

- Snooky Young / trumpet

- Oscar Brashear / trumpet

- Steven Madaio / trumpet

- Dick Hyde / trombone

- Phil Ranelin / trombone

- Phil Teele / trombone

1. The Love Connection" (8:17) Freddie Hubbard's trumpet has never ever sounded so good as this song. The amazingly air-tight groove from drummer Chester Thompson and electric bassist Stanley Clarke is amazing but then add Claus Ogerman's production values and the arrangement and recording of those amazing horns and you have a song foundation in which there's no way any performer could not be inspired to play their best! One of my absolute favorite upbeat jazz-rock fusion songs of all-time. After working so long on my in-depth footsteps-following study of Freddie, I have concluded that this song, this version of this song, is the perfect culmination of all--of everything--he'd been exploring over the past decade. Mega kudos, Mr. Hubbard! Thank you, Messrs. Corea, Clarke, Thompson, Ogerman, and all of the horn players contributing to this amazing big band funk rendition. (19.5/20)

2. "Brigitte" (6:57) beautiful strings orchestra arrangement to open this reworked version of the 1973 classic (from Keep Your Soul Together), one with double bass, piano, and sensitive jazz drums setting up Freddie for one amazingly beautifully tender performance: great melodies through the first two minutes before the tempo and dynamics jump a couple notches with walking bass line and accented drum and conga play. Nice to hear Chick's Vince Guraldi-like sound and solo in the fifth minute--and the way the horns take it back from him at the end of the sixth minute for a wonderful strings-supported recapitulation of the opening melodies to the end. (13.25/15)

3. "This Dream" (9:00) a new Claus Ogerman composition offered up just for this album, it opens with the orchestra's low end (horns) revealing the main melody followed by its repetition from the upper end (strings) and then Freddie joins in to give his phrasings. Very interesting interplay on this tense, almost-Wizard of Oz-feeling piece of ambiguity. I'm not sure if Claus and Freddie were able to resolve the tension before the jazz combo join in, but it was interesting to hear them try. Chick on piano, Chuck Damonico on double bass, and Chester Thompson on bare-bones brushed drum kit. Chick plays a nice sensitive solo in the seventh minute over the two rhythm instruments, then the orchestra swells and Chick goes Alice Coltrane glissando mode in order to clear the palette for Freddie and Claus to finish it off the way it started. A pleasant and engaging listen--very cinematic--reminding me of some old movie like Billy Wilder's The Apartment. (18/20)

4. "Little Sunflower" (9:20) a Freddie original that first appeared on his 1967 studio release, Backlash. The original version was great but here we have Claus' strings, Chick's keys, and Al Jarreau all at their absolute peak. This is one of my favorite jazz vocal songs of all-time and one of the greatest Jazz-Rock Fusion songs ever. My favorite Freddie and Chick and Chester Thompson performances of all-time! The work that Freddie had been doing for over ten years has finally paid off--thanks in no small part to the significant talent and help of vocalist extraordinaire Al Jarreau. (20/20) 

5. "Lazy Afternoon" (10:02) the title says it all: and that's just the way I felt as this album side would run its course: all hyped up and blissed out by Al Jarreau, Chick and Freddy's "Sunflower," I would just lay back into the lazy-haze of the adrenal fall and fall asleep to the dulcet breathy tones of Freddie's trumpet and Claus's cinematic orchestrations over the song's first four minutes. But then Chick and the jazz-rock combo join in--with Chuck's surprising funk bass and the saxophone's playing off of Freddie's trumpet spits, but, alas! It's short-lived as the music moves back to soft jazz in the eighth minute for an extended close with just Freddy and Claus' orchestra. But, how appropriate. Those final notes alone make it all so worthwhile! BTW: This is a reworking of an old Jerome Moross and John Latouche song that first appeared on a Rod McKuen album back in 1956 (and then June Christy's Gone for the Afternoon in 1957). Nice version. (17.75/20)

Total Time: 43:36

I consider this is album to be one of the peak achievements of the end of the era of Jazz-Rock Fusion. Freddie has worked several of these songs over and over for up to a decade and has here, with the considerable help of two of the all-time greats of the genre in Chick Corea and Claus Ogerman, to produce a near-perfect example of all of the best that the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement had achieved. 

94.21 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of funked up, mellowed down late 1970s pre-Smooth Jazz jazz-rock fusion. The rawness of the jazz-rock fusion that Tony Lifetime and Miles and Johnny Mac and Herbie the Headhunter and Carlos the Santana started has now been refined into what will soon become and be called "Smooth Jazz."

FREDDY HUBBARD Skagly (1980)

Recorded and Mixed at  in December, 1979, released by Columbia Records in 1980. A rag-tag ensemble of old-timers (Ranelin, Caliman, Burnett, Hubbard) and young hotshots (Klein, Childs) thrown into a room together for a few days in December of 1979 at Hollywood Sound Recorders in Hollywood, CA. The album saw its release by Columbia Records in 1980.

Line-up/Musicians:

- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet, flugelhorn, producer

 - Larry Klein / bass
 - Carl Burnett / drums 
 - Billy Childs / keyboards
 - Hadley Caliman / tenor sax, flutes
 - Philip Ranelin / trombone

 - Paulinho Da Costa / percussion (A3, B1)
 - George Duke / clavinet (B1)
- Jeff "Skunk" Baxter / guitar (B1)

A1. "Happiness Is Now" (7:52) a great near-big band intro-opener seems to be sliding into a funk-lite motif as Larry Klein and the rhythm corps set up a fairly gentle and spacious groove which Freddie takes advantage of to start soloing with his smooth flugelhorn. His tone is so incredible! The keyboard work of Billy Childs is excellent as is the drumming of Carl Burnett and the horn section work of Hadley Caliman and Philip Ranelin (with Freddie, of course), but this song does not I'm happy to say, fall into the maudlin and mundane traps of so much of the Smooth Jazz--stays, in fact, closer to the work he did with Chick Corea, Chuck Delmonica, and Chester Thompson (and Stanley Clarke) on the previous album, The Love Connection. And Freddie's work up front has some great moments: both incredible smoothness and fiery passion. This is great! Hadley's solo in the fifth minute is a little underwhelming--with the support crew threatening to fall into Bob James territory (dialing it in), but then he animates himself a bit before turning things back over to Freddie. There is far more good/great stuff in this song than weak/disappointing--not to mention very engaging and satisfying melodies. (13.5/15)

A2. "Theme From Summer Of '42" (The Summer Knows) (5:35) a revisitation to a song that Freddie had been working with for most of the decade (and no wonder: it's a great song with virtually infinite potential for interpretation). Here Freddie chooses a near-bare-bones palette to work over--and to do so with a more traditional 1960s acoustic-based sound: piano, bass, simple brushed drum kit work and his flugelhorn. So much space, it allows the harmonics of each instrument to do so much more! While I'm not really a fan of the sound given to Billy Childs' piano in the final mix down (too much empty room feel)--especially when contrasted with the warm, intimate, in-your-face sound of Freddie's horn--I like this version very much. (9.125/10)

A3. "Cascais" (7:43) a surprise straight out of the box for the fact that it's not a standard, cover, or recent pop tune: it's a Larry Klein original! And it's very jazzy in an orchestra-rich way that would be familiar to and enjoyed by fans of David Axelrod, Eumir Deodato, Herb Alpert, and Burt Bacharach. Freddie's play in the third minute, followed by Larry's minute of soloing are so unusual for Freddie's albums! I love it! And Paulinho's work contrasted with Billy's unusual synth sound and Hadley's awesome flute solo in the fifth and sixth minutes make for more surprises, more interesting and unexpected fare.  (13.667/15)

B1. "Skagly" (14:33) Larry Klein's rolling bass lines backed by George Duke's clavinet and Jeff "Skunk" Baxter's funky wah-wah rhythm guitar play are the reason this song stands out so well, the rest is gravy on top--including Billy Childs' excellent keyboard work, Paulinho Da Costa's percussion work, Hadely Caliman's fine tenor sax playing as well as the awesome trumpet-trombone accent work of Freddie and Philip Ranelin. The familiarity of a few of the repetitive elements (some from Herb Alpert's recent Rise release from September, some from previous Average White Band hits) is easy to look over in light of all else going on. I never knew that Larry Klein could be such an effective jazz bassist! And what a joy to hear Billy Childs and the unique Skunk Baxter again. (27.5/30)

 
B2. "Rustic Celebration" (5:33) again we open with a sequence of complex chords and demanding instrumental performances that I still can't believe! It's a Billy Childs composition and it has half the flare of a Chick Corea song mixed with half of the slippery funk of a New Orleans French Quarter tune before the band congeals into a really funky motif of lots of demanding stop-and-go play beneath Freddie's inspired and dynamic trumpet play. Again Larry Klein's funk mastery shocks me--and a lot of it is especially on display while Billy Childs launches into a long swampy piano solo that occupies a good 90 seconds before the band returns to the bouncy, stop-and-go groove-of-unpredictability that they'd "established" in the first couple of minutes. Amazing song! Probably my favorite on the album! (9.625/10)

Total Time 41:30

My opinion is that with the release of the previous album, The Love Connection, Freddie was able to finally put to rest much of the goals he had been so focused on throughout the 1970s--which then resulted in his ability to "start fresh" with the influx and cultivation of new ideas and a new vigor--which resulted in the adventurous material and lineup of this album. I'm still trying to accommodate the fact that Freddie was able to remove himself from the trends and pressures of the Smooth Jazz movement! Mega kudos, Freddie!

91.77 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of sophisticated, well-composed and performed Third Wave Jazz-Rock Fusion; definitely one of my favorite Freddie Hubbard studio album releases.

Freddie made numerous appearances on other artist's albums during the Seventies, including Stanley Turrentine's Sugar (1971), Kenny Burrell's God Bless The Child (1971), Randy Weston's Blue Moses (1972), Don Sebesky's Giant Box (1973), Dexter Gordon's Generation (1973), Andrew Hill's One for Love (1975), Stanley Turrentine's Have You Ever Seen the Rain (1975), Quincy Jones' I Heard That!! (1976), The CTI All-Stars live albums, Raul De Souza's Sweet Lucy (1977), all of Herbie Hancock's V.S.O.P. albums (1977), Mel Lewis' Mel Lewis and Friends (1977), Al Jarreau's All Fly Home (1978), The Jeff Lorber Fusion's Water Sign (1979), Stanley Clarke's I Wanna Play for You (1979), Dexter Gordon's Clubhouse (1979), David Pritchard's City Dreams (1979), as well as the 1979 publication of a wonderful record he made with Wayne Shorter back in 1965 called The Soothsayer.

My Ranking of Freddie Hubbard's Studio Album Releases

1. The Love Connection (1979) - 94.21
2. Skagly (1980) - 91.77 

3. High Energy (1974) - 91.56

4. Liquid Love (1975) - 91.09
5. Milt Jackson - Sunflower * (1973) - 90.83

6. Windjammer (1976) - 90.58

7. First Light (1971) - 90.54
8. Keep Your Soul Together (1973) - 90.31
9. Red Clay (1970) - 90.16
10. Polar AC (1975) - 90.0

11. Super Blue (1978) - 90.0
12. Straight Life (1971) - 89.29
13. Bundle of Joy (1977) - 88.65
14. Sky Dive (1972) - 88.46

* I've included this Milt Jackson album in this list due to the obvious influence Freddie held in terms of song choices (the title track of which was his own composition, another having served as a regular featured song in Freddie's live performances for well over a year).