Tuesday, March 23, 2021

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Freddie Hubbard


Artist:Freddie Hubbard

Song:The Intrepid Fox

Album:Red Clay/Straight Life/First Light


Legendary jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard made his name as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and then a series of albums for Blue Note. After he left Blakey in 1966, Hubbard recorded for producer Joel Dorn at Atlantic. Then he left for Creed Taylor's CTI label in 1970. He probably had his greatest commercial success at CTI. The Intrepid Fox was on the 1970 album Red Clay. This was Hubbard's first album on CTI. Musicians are Joe Henderson on tenor sax and flute, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Lenny White on drums. The CD release adds a couple of bonus tracks. Hubbard second CTI album Straight Life has the same band with the addition of guitarist George Benson and Jack DeJohnette replacing White. For the 1971 album First Light, Taylor added strings arranged and conducted by Don Sebesky. This album won a Grammy. These three albums are considered to be Hubbard's trilogy. The British label Beat Goes on released all three albums as a box set in 2014. There is also a budget comp of Hubbard's CTI albums called Jazz Moods: Hot that is a good intro to Hubbard's CTI albums. Hubbard left CTI for Columbia in 1975. The Columbia albums were an attempt to make Hubbard more commercial. They failed though at the same time Hubbard was a member of V.S.O.P. with Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. In the 80s Hubbard recorded for Enja and Blue Note and others. But his greatest recordings were for Blue Note in the 60s and CTI in the 70s. Here's Freddie Hubbard with Junior Cook on tenor sax, George Cables on piano, Kent Brinkley on bass and Michael Carvin on drums performing The Intrepid Fox in France 1973.


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