Freddie Hubbard - Ready for Freddie review: Highly satisfying when taken as a whole, Ready for Freddie is the kind of consummately rendered product that might do more than merely satisfy us—iit might even have a lesson to teach us about our own potential. Jan 23, 2019 Check out Ready for Freddie by Freddie Hubbard on Amazon Music. Stream ad-free or purchase CD's and MP3s now on Amazon.com.
In November 1962, when Freddie Hubbard recorded ‘Ready For Freddie’, he was the bright young thing on trumpet and alongside Lee Morgan was the heir apparent to the mantle that Clifford Brown wore before his untimely death in 1956. At the time of this recording Freddie Hubbard was a member of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the sextet that also included a young Wayne Shorter. Hubbard combined the hard edged Bop of Blakey with elements of John Coltrane. On ‘Ready for Freddie’, Hubbard uses Coltrane’s pianist and drummer – McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones. He manages to fuse the two styles seamlessly, of course musicians of the calibre of Tyner and Jones help as well as a fine performance from saxophonist Wayne Shorter.
Bernard McKinney’s euphonium adds a different twist to the horn lines. ‘Arietis’ and ‘Marie Antoinette’ with its intoxicating horn phrases stand out as does the upbeat blues of ‘Birdlike’. Freddie Hubbard first recorded ‘Crisis’ for Art Blakey’s momentous set ‘Mosaic’. Hubbard version of his own composition is a bristling affair with Hubbard on fire.
His playing is breathtaking (literally) and ‘Ready For Freddie’ must rank as his finest Blue Note album – at least to these ears.
By Francis Lo KeeFreddie Hubbard has led a productive and interesting recording career that has gone through various phases, showing up on revolutionary records of the '60s (with Ornette, Dolphy and Coltrane) and some of the best hard bop, 'keeper-of-the-flame sessions, too (as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers).Ready for Freddie (1961) was made while Hubbard was working with Blakey and his playing here is on fire. 'Birdlike (a blues in F, later renamed 'Byrdlike ) and 'Crisis are two of his best known compositions and justifiably so; tuneful, unique and concise, they provide vehicles for great solos by Hubbard, Wayne Shorter and McCoy Tyner while Elvin Jones and Art Davis drive these tunes with energy and creativity.Hubbard had decided to leave Blakey's band to strike out on his own by the time he recorded Breaking Point (1964), an amazing recording (save one 'filler composition). You can hear the trumpeter coming to grips with the diverse aesthetics surrounding him. The title track is an interesting and unique composition played with incredible skill and drama. It's like a meeting between the avant-garde and calypso. Free jazzers take note how accurately these ensemble lines are played. Almost as if part of a suite, 'Breaking Point flows into 'Far Away, which features the great flute work of James Spaulding.Night of the Cookers (1965) is a live two CD set containing four tunes with a classic live musician/audience vibe.
'Jodo is knock-down, dragout, high-voltage hard bop at its best. Pete La Roca's drum solo is amazing - the kind of thing that would be edited out of a studio date and one of the reasons it's great that these tracks have been re-issued.Blue Spirits (1965-66) takes Hubbard back into the studio. From listening to its first tracks we might think it's a pull-back from the modernism of Breaking Point and the abandon of Night of the Cookers, however it is the tracks originally not issued which are the strongest. Powerful solo statements are given by Joe Henderson and Harold Mabern and by the time you get to 'Jodo (the first bonus track) the creative voltage level goes up 200%. Hubbard, Spaulding and Henderson turn in burning solos while the rhythm section of Tyner, LaRoca and bassist Bob Cranshaw cook. 'The Melting Pot and 'True Colors feature Herbie Hancock, Henderson, Reggie Workman and Elvin Jones, with Hancock playing harpsichord (mis-labeled celeste) on the latter!Hubbard has admittedly made some poor commercial choices but he has also made incredibly avant-garde records and exemplary hard bop.