Hubbard, Freddy

Early Career

Hubbard began playing the melodphone and trumpet in the Arsenal Technical full school school band in Indianapolis , Indiana . Trumpeter Lee Katzman, who worked with Stan Kenton , recommended him to study at the Arthur Jordan Conservatory (now the Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University), where he studied with Max Woodbury , the lead trumpeter of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra . During his youth, Hubbard played a little along with his brothers Monk and Wes Montgomery , double bass player Larry Ridley and saxophonist James Sprading . In 1958, at the age of 20, he moved to New York and began playing with the leading jazz musicians of his time: Philly Joe Jones , Sonny Rawlins , Slide Hampton , Eric Dolphy , JJ Johnson , Quincy Jones . In June 1960, Hubbard recorded his first song as a soloist - Open Sesame - with saxophonist Tina Brooks , pianist McCoy Tyner , double bass player Sam Jones and drummer Clifford Jarvis . In December 1960, Hubbard was invited to participate in the Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz festival after Coleman heard him play in a duet with Don Cherry. ^[7]

This field, in May 1961, Hubbard took part in the recording of John Coltrane 's album " Olé Coltrane ", later he and Eric Dolphy participated in the recording of another Coltrane album - " Africa / Brass ". In August 1961, Hubbard recorded one of his most famous compositions, “ Ready for Freddie, ” which was the first result of his collaboration with saxophonist Wayne Shorter . Hubbard met Shorter in 1961, replacing Lee Morgan in Art Blakey 's Jazz Messengers . He has been involved in recordings of many of the band’s compositions, including Caravan , Ugetsu , Mosaic , and Free For All . Hubbard collaborated with Blakey until 1966 , when he left Jazz Messengers, creating the first of his small bands, which included, among others, pianist Kenny Barron and drummer Louis Hayes . It was at this time that Freddie began to develop his own understanding of sound, gradually distancing himself from the strong influence that Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan had on him in the early years, thanks to which he won the New Star Trumpeter nomination according to the authoritative Downbeat magazine ^[8] .

His album of these times "The Artistry of Freddie Hubbard" ( 1962 ) was reissued in 1982 at the Soviet company "Melody" (C60 18211-2) under the title "The Art of Freddy Hubbard". The band includes: Freddy Hubbard - trumpet, Curtis Fuller - trombone, John Gilmore - saxophone, Tommy Flanegen - piano, Art Davis - double bass and Luis Hayes - drums.

Throughout the 1960s, Hubbard took part in recording most of the most important albums of that time, such as Oliver Nelson 's The Blues & the Abstract Truth , Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch , Herbie Hancock 's Maiden Voyage and Wayne's Shorter's “ Speak No Evil ” ^[9] . For a decade, he collaborated extensively with Blue Note Records : eight albums as a band lead singer and twenty eight as a performer ^[10] . Hubbard was spoken of as “the most remarkable trumpeter of the generation of musicians who, on the one hand, played“ tone ”jazz, and on the other, belonged to the aton direction” ^[11] . In addition, Hubbard never fully accepted the concept of free jazz , which appeared in two iconic albums: “ Free Jazz ” by Ornett Coleman and “ Ascension ” by John Coltrane.

Late Career

In the 1970s, Hubbard achieved the greatest popularity with a series of albums recorded in collaboration with Creed Taylor and his CTI Records studio and eclipsing such masters as Stanley Turrentine , Hubert Lose and George Benson ^[12] . In addition, the albums of the beginning of the decade - “ Red Clay ”, “ First Light ”, “ Straight Life ” and “ Sky Dive ” - were positively received by the public and were among his best works, but the albums of the second half of the 70s of the part criticized for excessive commercialization. First Light won the Grammy Award in 1972, with pianists Herbie Hancock and Richard Viands , guitarists Eric Gale and George Benson , double bass player Ron Carter , drummer Jack De Jone and percussionist Airto Moreira ^[13] . In 1994, Freddie co-authored with Chicago vocalist Catherine Whitney released a remake of the album " First Light " ^[14] .

In 1977, Hubbard joined ex-members of the Miles Quintet Davis Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams , Ron Carter and Wayne Shorter, with whom he gave several joint concerts. Several recordings of these concerts were published in the series VSOP : VSOP: The Quintet , VSOP: Tempest in the Colosseum (both 1977) and VSOP: Live Under the Sky ( 1979 ) ^[6] . Hubbard played the trumpet when recording the track “ Zanzibar ” in Billy Joel 's 52nd Street album ( 1978 ), which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year (1979). At the end of the composition, studio music is superimposed on a recording of Hubbard's performance; A “clean” studio version was released only in Billy Joel’s set “ My Lives ” in 2004 .

In the 1980s, Hubbard again performed with his own team, receiving very flattering reviews from critics and playing at concerts and festivals in the USA and Europe, usually in the company of Joe Henderson , combining hard-bop and modal jazz in the repertoire. Hubbard played twice at the legendary Monterrey Jazz Festival - in 1980 and 1989 (with Bobby Hutcherson ). He played with Woody Shaw , recording with him in 1985, two years later Freddy recorded Stardust with Benny Golson . In 1988, he renewed his collaboration with Art Blakey, recording “ Feel the Wind ” with him in Holland. In 1990, he appeared in Japan , playing one of the first roles at the American-Japanese Jazz Festival, where Alvin Jones , Sonny Fochn , pianists George Duke and Benny Green , double basses Ron Carter and Rufus Ryde , vocalist Salena Jones also played. He also performed at the Warsaw Jazz Festival; the recording of this concert was released in the album " Live at the Warsaw Jazz Festival " (Jazzmen, 1992) ^[6] . The best records fell on the best years of his life ^[15] .

In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Hubbard the highest jazz award in the world - the NEA Jazz Masters Award.

On December 29, 2008, The Indianapolis Star reported that Freddie Hubbard died as a result of complications after a heart attack suffered on November 26 of that year. Hubbard passed away in Sherman Oaks County, Los Angeles , California ^{[16] [17]} .

In recent years, Hubbard has been closely associated with the Jazz Foundation of America. He said: “When my heart problems started and I couldn’t work, The Jazz Foundation paid my housing bills for several months, thanks to them I saved my house! Thank God for these people ” ^[18] . The Jazz Foundation of America's Musicians' charity has been courting Hubbard throughout his illness. After his death, he bequeathed to the foundation all his property ^[19] .

As a soloist

Filmography

• 1981 Studiolive (Sony) ^[20]
• 2004 Live at the Village Vanguard (Immortal) ^[21]
• 2005 All Blues (FS World Jazz) ^[22]
• 2009 Freddie Hubbard: One of a Kind

• Biography at Jazztrumpetsolos.com
• (link unavailable) Biography and featured recordings of Grove Music Online
• Interview in Downbeat Magazine
• Discography
• "Randy Brecker Selects Twelve Essential Freddie Hubbard Tracks" , ( Jazz.com )
• Freddie Hubbard Remembered at NPR Music
• Video: Freddy Hubbard and Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Tony Williams, Ron Carter play at Birdland Club
• Video: Freddy Hubbard plays "Cherokee"