Listening Room – “Sugar”

Sugar

Stanley Turrentine – “Sugar”

Stanley Turrentine – “Impressions”

Stanley Turrentine – “Sugar (Live)”

From “Sugar” : 1970 : CTI 6005

“Sugar” was Stanley Turrentine’s debut recording for CTI, a label for whom he would go on to record a string of fantastic albums.  The original album only contained three tracks, while the out-of-print 1991 CD reissue added on a bonus live track of the title track (included here) which is a killer take on the album version that adds Johnny Hammond, Hubert Laws and Billy Cobham to the band [recorded at the Southgate Palace in Los Angeles in 1971].  The whole album is a showcase for Turrentine’s smoldering soul jazz saxophone sound, while Freddie Hubbard (who would record a few masterpieces for CTI) and George Benson are also in top form.  The band’s take on Coltrane’s Impressions closed out the original LP in fine fashion with the players firing on all cylinders.

Players:
Stanley Turrentine – Tenor Sax
Freddie Hubbard – Trumpet
Hubert Laws – Flute (Live track only)
Lonnie Liston Smith – Electric Piano
Johnny Hammond – Electric Piano (Live track only)
George Benson – Guitar
Butch Cornell – Organ
Ron Carter – Bass
Richard “Pablo” Landrum – Congas
Billy Kaye – Drums
Billy Cobham – Drums (Live track only)

From “Sunday Night”, 1989.  Stanley Turrentine – Sax, Hiram Bullock – Guitar, Philippe Saisse – Keys, Don Alias – Percussion, Tom Barney – Bass, J.T. Lewis, Drums.

Listening Room – “Sunflower”

Sunflower

Milt Jackson – Sunflower

Milt Jackson – What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life?

From “Sunflower” :  1972  :  CTI 6024

Another CTI classic from the early 70′s and although this one has a larger ensemble it still stays away from the over-produced commercialized sound the label would soon be putting out.  Freddie Hubbard and Herbie Hancock are simply spectacular throughout, especially on the title track.  Billy Cobham’s drumming stays in the groove and the interplay between him and Milt Jackson is really happening.  What Are You Doing The Rest of Your Life is a ballad shows off the skills that made Jackson a legend on the vibes and the string arrangements are for the most part tasteful and not over the top.

Players:
Milt Jackson – Vibes
Freddie Hubbard – Flugelhorn
George Marge – Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, English Horn
Phil Bodner – Flute, Piccolo, English Horn
Romeo Penque – Oboe, English Horn
Herbie Hancock – Piano, Electric Piano
Jay Berliner – Guitar
Ron Carter – Bass
Billy Cobham – Drums
Ralph MacDonald – Percussion
Max Ellen, Paul Gershman, Emanuel Green,
Charles Libove, Joe Malin, David Nadien,
Gene Orloff & Elliot Rosoff – Violins
Charles McCracken, George Ricci
& Alan Shulman – Cellos
Margaret Ross – Harp
Don Sebesky – Arranger, Conductor

Listening Room (Repost) – “Keep Your Soul Together”

Keep Your Soul Together

Freddie Hubbard -”Keep Your Soul Together”

Freddie Hubbard – “Destiny’s Children”

From “Keep Your Soul Together” : 1973  :  CTI Records 6036

Recently scored myself a pristine copy of this on vinyl and have been trying not to wear it out listening to it too much.  Just an awesome album from start to finish, has to be counted among Hubbard’s best moments in the studio.

Players:
Freddie Hubbard – Trumpet
Junior Cook – Tenor
George Cables – Keyboards
Aurell Ray – Guitar
Ron Carter – Bass
Kent Brinkley – Bass
Ralph Penland – Drums
Juno Lewis – Percussion

“Freddie Hubbard Memorial Planned for NYC”

Freddie Hubbard

JAZZ TIMES
May 1, 2009
By Jeff Tamarkin

A memorial event to honor the late trumpet great Freddie Hubbard, who died last December, will take place next Monday, May 4, 6:30 to 9:30 PM, at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (at 112th Street), New York City.

In addition to Hubbard’s widow Briggie, his son Duane and his musical director David Weiss, the following are scheduled to appear:

Donald Byrd, Cedar Walton, Louis Hayes, Charles Tolliver, Wynton Marsalis, Gary Bartz, Slide Hampton, Jimmy Heath, Billy Harper, Joe Chambers, Al Foster, Wallace Roney, Joe Lovano, Buster Williams, Lenny White, Roy Hargrove, Stanley Crouch, Randy Brecker, Javon Jackson, Christian McBride, Carl Allen, Reggie Workman, George Cables, Russell Malone, Jeremy Pelt, Vincent Herring, Larry Ridley, Killer Ray Appleton, Howard Johnson, George Coleman, Jimmy Owens, Don Braden, Peter Washington, Pete “LaRoca” Sims, and the New Jazz Composers Octet (David Weiss, Myron Walden, Jimmy Greene, Steve Davis, Norbert Stachel, Xavier Davis, Dwayne Burno and E.J. Strickland).

The family asks that donations be made in Freddie’s name to the Jazz Foundation of America, which helped take care of Hubbard during his times of illness. Donations can be made online at Jazz Foundation, or make checks payable to:

Jazz Foundation of America
322 West 48th Street 6th floor
New York, NY10036
Attn: In honor of Freddie Hubbard

JAZZTIMES.COM

“Cantaloupe Island – 1985″

This is a performance of “Cantaloupe Island” from the “One Night with Blue Note” film celebrating the historic concert in 1985 that brought together Blue Note Records legends to celebrate the revival of the label by Bruce Lundvall and Michael Cuscuna.  This performance certainly features legendary players:  Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter and Tony Williams!

Freddie Hubbard 1975 – “Straight Life”

Hot clip of Freddie Hubbard playing his composition Straight Life at the 1975 Downbeat Awards.  He’s joined by Chick Corea on the keyboards, Stanley Clarke on bass, Lenny White on drums and Airto masterfully working the percussion.  The picture quality is not the best, but it is great performance by a group of legendary players.

Listening Room – “Straight Life”

Released in 1970, “Straight Life” came out in between the more well known Hubbard albums “Red Clay” and “First Light”.  While I will always be partial to “Red Clay” for personal reasons (it is one of the first jazz albums I ever bought), “Straight Life” may be Hubbard’s greatest CTI recording.  The all-star group (Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, George Benson, Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette) were all very familiar with each other by this point in their careers and play off each other with ease.   All are on the same page playing the post-bop fusion selections that Hubbard chose for these sessions including his own classic compostition, the title track Straight Life.

Straight Life
Buy at Amazon

Released 1970  :  CTI Records  :  Catalog # 6007

Players:
Freddie Hubbard – Trumpet
Joe Henderson – Tenor Sax
Herbie Hancock – Piano
George Benson – Guitar
Ron Carter – Bass
Jack DeJohnette – Drums

Freddie Hubbard – Straight Life from “Straight Life”

Freddie Hubbard – Mr. Clean from “Straight Life”

Listening Room – “Out To Lunch!”

Out To Lunch!

Eric Dolphy – Hat and Beard

Eric Dolphy – Out To Lunch

From “Out to Lunch” : 1964 : Blue Note BLP 4163

Everything about Eric Dolphy’s 1964 avant-garde post-bop classic “Out To Lunch!” – from the music to the cover to the lineup – announces a masterpiece of an album, and rightly so.  Dolphy’s five originals (two highlights are the Thelonious Monk tribute Hat and Beard and the title track) are rhythmically complex and create a freedom within the music that allows all the players room to improvise at a high level.  These songs are almost more soundscapes than traditional compositions, and while some may disagree I would argue that Dolphy has never sounded more creative and inspired.

Players:
Eric Dolphy – Alto Sax, Bass Clarinet, Flute
Freddie Hubbard – Trumpet
Bobby Hutcherson – Vibes
Richard Davis – Bass
Tony Williams – Drums

Listening Room – “Caravan”

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – “Caravan”

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers – “Skylark”

From “Caravan” : 1962 : Riverside Records

This was Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers first of several great albums recorded for Riverside starting in 1962. The players Blakey assembled are some of the best hard bop players of that or any era. Standout tracks include their take on Ellington’s classic Caravan and the pop standard Skylark.

Players:
Art Blakey – Drums
Freddie Hubbard – Trumpet
Curtis Fuller – Trombone
Wayne Shorter – Tenor Sax
Cedar Walton – Piano
Reggie Workman – Bass