Previously Unissued Freddy Hubbard Album

Cover of the album being discussed

My latest encounter with Resonance Records involves a jazz performance that has not previously been issued. The title of the album is On Fire: Live from the Blue Morocco, and it involves a quintet gig led by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. He shares the front line with Bennie Maupin on tenor saxophone; and rhythm is provided by pianist Kenny Baron, Herbie Lewis on bass, and drummer Freddie Watts. The Blue Morocco was a jazz club in the Bronx (one of the New York City boroughs) run by Sylvia Robinson; and the album offers an account of a performance there on April 10, 1967. This is another two-CD album, which will be released this coming Friday. As most readers will expect, Amazon.com has already created a Web page for processing pre-orders.

My “first contact” with Hubbard was through the initial release of John Coltrane’s Ascension album, which took place in February of 1966. (This was a “large ensemble” performance, which introduced me to several jazz performers I had not previously known.) Ascension presented free jazz at its freest; but, on On Fire Hubbard knew how to carry the torch (so to speak) of that freedom on his own. However, only three of the seven tracks of On Fire are Hubbard originals. Just as important is the inventiveness that his combo could take to the more familiar tunes, such as “Bye Bye Blackbird” and “Summertime.”

Hubbard died on December 29, 2008 at the age of 70. His name may not have been as familiar to those buying jazz albums as was that of Miles Davis. However, no one would confuse Hubbard’s intensity with Davis’ reflective style! More important was his contributions to Oliver Nelson’s The Blues and The Abstract Truth project; and his own The Artistry of Freddy Hubbard  Impulse! release demonstrates the inventive chemistry emerging from performing with trombonist Curtis Fuller, Art Davis on bass, and pianist Tommy Flanagan (the only one of the three I was fortunate enough to see in performance).

During the time that my wife and I were living in Stanford, California, we attended only one Stanford Jazz Workshop gig. Sadly, I cannot remember who led that performance. I can only remember that, during the Q&A after the gig, someone asked him about Hubbard; and his response was a heavy sigh! Hubbard may have died relatively young, but the recorded performances I have heard of him have consistently made me sit up and take notice. On Fire decidedly prompted the same response!