Search - Freddie Hubbard :: Hub Cap

Hubbard the Musical Wayfarer

Kevin W. Celebi | Greencastle, IN | 03/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Freddie Hubbard's tenure as a leader on Blue Note Records (1960-1965) is his most preferred period for most jazz fans. Such a stretch featured him at the peak of his creative and trumpet-playing powers: the classic burnished tone (thousands have imitated that vibrato; none have succeeded), machine-gun tenacity of multi-note runs, and his amazingly mature harmonic and melodic statements in embellishing a melody or blowing several choruses of his favorite chord changes.



"Hub-Cap," one of a laughably many plays on his last name (you would too, if the word "Hub" was in your name!), is not a legendary album by any means. The AMG remarks that Hubbard sticks to his "tried-and-true hard bop formula," which is a yes and no. This album was recorded in one day and only has one alternate take - but that is a testament more to the group's excellence rather than the property of its music as a blowing session. Julian Priester and Jimmy Heath are brought in to add to Hubbard's already-rich cauldron of sonorities, and the group's size as a sextet is what boosts it from an everyday wall-blower to more of an actual jazz unit with sincerely and heartfelt played music.



Hubbard was still relatively new to the scene in 1961, and it's fortunate that Alfred Lion had the foresight to record him so often. Freddie had a message for the jazz world: "I'm not just another firebrand that's going to mow down standard after standard for you - I'm going to write my own compositions, while featuring another striking original composition by my brilliant pianist, Cedar Walton." Perhaps that wasn't his specific message - but the focus on originality and polish are what make this album such an important stepping stone in Hubbard's journeying career. He didn't start out by merely churning out above-average material after above-average material - he exploded onto the scene with more and more original music. "Plexus," an extremely angular and intense cooker, was also featured in albums by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, which of course, Hubbard and Walton were in at the time.



Only one minor thing detracts from the album's perfection. Hubbard is a step below his normal standard of crispness - which is still what almost every trumpet player in the world would have begged to achieve, but the listener gets so spoiled by his absolutely dazzling solos on albums like "Open Sesame" and "Goin' Up" that the high expectations continue to rise. The problem is that his compositions involve so many notes, giving him few opportunities to rest his lips during the melody statement, that by the time he gets to his improvisations, he has depleted much of his energy. This is a common mistake that many trumpet players make in jazz (myself guilty as well) and it is most noticeable on his solo on "Plexus." The notes just aren't as brash and perfectly executed as you would expect from a Hubbard solo, and all the blowing he did in the melody statements was probably a prime reason. He still lights up the studio, anyway.



Now, here's a note about the playing of Jimmy Heath. For some reason, critics call him the "weak link" or a "junior varsity saxophone player" on reviews of albums he appears on. I'm a personal fan of Jimmy Heath's playing, since his sound is very warm and kindling and his melodic runs continue to climb while maintaining harmonic direction. He's called "Little Bird" by many fans, but his tenor playing barely resembles that of Charlie Parker, leaning more towards a velvety version of Sonny Rollins' virtuosity. Listen to Heath's playing on "Osie Mae," in which he executes impeccable sixteenth note runs, yet always ends the notes with that beautiful vibrato.



The album opens in exciting fashion with a quasi-feature for one of Hubbard's favorite drummers, Philly Joe Jones. This is similar to "Here to Stay," which opens with the aptly titled "Philly Mignon." This song is far from run of the mill, being an up-tempo romp mainly in Bb minor with several bombs dropped by Jones. "Cry Me Not" gives Hubbard the opportunity to find the center of his absolutely gorgeous trumpet tone. This ballad has no improvisations, but rather is a great arrangement exploiting the expanded palette of the sextet. "Luana" is definitely not something jazz fans haven't heard before - a melody that uses a Latin feel before breaking into a swing for solos. "Osie Mae" is one of Hubbard's more revered compositions, embraced for its perfectly addictive shuffle feel and three-part horn arrangement resembling of the Jazz Messengers. "Plexus," written by Walton, also is a classic composition out of the Jazz Messengers songbook, featured on the albums "Three Blind Mice" and "Mosaic." An alternate take is provided, but Hubbard seems to be running into fatigue in his solo. Finally, "Earmon Jr." is a minor blues as in-the-pocket as they come, featuring a straight four swing feel with an alternate turnaround at the end to keep things interesting harmonically.



Freddie Hubbard wandered through many roads during his legendary career, stopping each night at what dwelling of imaginative jazz style he might chance upon, were it an intimate Van Gelder living room or stage of Carnegie Hall, about the hour of eve at the kindling of creative candles. "Hub-Cap" boasts his desires of new sights and heart of an explorer and is not to be missed.



kc"