Remembering Freddie Hubbard
I’m sure many of you saw the news that Freddie Hubbard passed away yesterday at age 70. Hubbard, of course, was a seminal figure in the post-bop era. We write about his records often in the posts at Jazz Collector, particularly since his LP Open Sesame, Blue Note 4040, is one of the top collectibles, often selling for more than $1,000. He also played on Tina Brooks, True Blue, Blue Note 4041, another of the rarest of jazz collectibles. Our own memories of Hubbard stretch back to the great Oliver Nelson LP, The Blues and the Abstract Truth, Impulse 5, where he played in a great setting with Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, Eric Dolphy and others. I always remember Nelson stating that Hubbard sounded like John Coltrane playing the trumpet, and that always stuck with me. Hubbard was never quite as inventive as Trane or as experimental, but he certainly had a style and sound that was immediately recognizable. Other favorite early recordings are Eric Dolphy Outward Bound, New Jazz 8236, and Art Blakey, Buhaina’s Delight, Blue Note 4104. I saw Hubbard many times at the Village Vanguard in the early 1970s, and he was always a passionate, charismatic performer. What are some of your memories, and favorite Hubbard recordings? Please feel free to comment on this post.
My first exposure to Freddie Hubbard was on Dolphy’s “Outward Bound”. First time I had heard Freddie. The group presented another dimension of the trumpet/sax + rhythm bop format, thanks to Eric, and I was really thrilled by Freddie’s airiness. A revelation. The 2nd exposure was the O. Nelson album on Impulse. Less revolutionary trumpet playing, more mainstream. After that, I am ashamed to say, I lost interest, although buying all the Blue Note albums, just to shelve them. I played one side of “Open Sesame” only a few weeks ago! It was not bad really, but nothing of the thrill which “Outward Bound” gave me.
I wonder whether these first exposures in one’s youth are bound to leave ever lasting impressions, throughout one’s active listening live.
I wish you and crew a jazzy New Year