Freddie Hubbard @ The Jazz Files

Freddie Hubbard was born in Indianapolis and his first playing and recording experiences were with fellow Indianapolis native Wes Montgomery. In 1958 he moved to New York where he soon gigged with well-established musicians such as: J.J. Johnson, Slide Hampton, Sonny Rollins and Philly Joe Jones. In 1961 Hubbard joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and to this band he contributed several of his own compositions such as "Up Jumped Spring" and several striking arrangements. During his three years with Blakey and afterwards, Hubbard took part in some important sessions as a sideman and as a leader. He worked with Bill Evans, Herbie Hancock, Hank Mobley, Dexter Gordon, and Wayne Shorter to name only an impressive few. October 1962 saw the release of his most successful album to date Hub-Tones featuring Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Art Davis and Elvin Jones. His most constant sideman was Kenny Barron, who played in his groups of the late 1960s (with Louis Hayes), early 1970s (with Hayes and Junior Cook), and early 1980s (with Buster Williams and Al Foster). In the 1970s Hubbard made forays into jazz-rock with the acclaimed albums for CTI; Red Clay and Straight life and by the late 70s, when Herbie Hancock reformed Miles Davis' group VSOP, Hubbard was cast to fulfil Davis' role on trumpet. In the mid-1980s Hubbard made a number of international tours and recorded with all-star groups, often in the company of Joe Henderson, playing a repertory of hard-bop and modal-jazz pieces. He continued to perform and record as a leader, and in 1985 made an album with Woody Shaw. A great technician on his instrument, Hubbard was equally at home in bop, hard bop, and modal styles. In the early sixties he even participated in more avant-garde sessions such as Ornette Coleman’s Free Jazz and John Coltrane’s Ascension. Later he turned his attention towards more commercial music, but has seemed to make a return to straight-ahead jazz with his recordings in the 1990s. Hubbard, clearly influenced by Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan, is a technically brilliant player with, a great melodic sense and a beautiful soulfull tone; utilizing half-valved notes with a serious bluesy feel. His trademark is a climactic trill between nonadjacent pitches (a shake) which has since been copied by many artists. But the most striking thing about his solos has to be his clean, brilliant playing in the higher register.