Customer Reviews

The ultimate sideman does the business as band leader - By: Adam Ventress, 22 Feb 2004
Freddie Hubbbard isin some respects an unsung hero of jazz. He made key contributions to a remarkable number of classic jazz recordingsin the early/mid 60s, including several albums with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, Ornette Coleman's 'Free Jazz', Eric Dolphy's 'Out To Lunch,' Wayne Shorter's 'Speak No Evil,' and, for me, containing his best work of all, Herbie Hancock's 'Takin Off,' 'Empyrean Isles,' & 'Maiden Voyage.'
This, however is one of several albums he recorded as leader, on Blue Note, & is widely regarded as his best.
The album begins with a typical Hubbard performance on 'You're My Everything;' his sound is bright with a lovely warm tone & he plays lyrical phrases & fast flowing runs with equal skill. The title track is the most powerful performance on the album, a real tour de force, with Hubbard displaying great agility & range.
The standout track though, has to be 'Lament For Booker' dedicated to the late Booker Little who had been a contemporary trumpeter & friend of Hubbard's. The sound is unusual, with James Spaulding playing a backdrop on flute, over which Hubbard plays a poignantly beautiful & obviously heartfelt lament, featuring some of his most lyrical playing on record.
I would recommend this album to anyone who has appreciated Hubbard's playing on other artists' records, (and the likelihood is, if you have much of a jazz collection, he will faeture somewhere), or Hubbard fans who have missed this one so far. A very good album.