Without A Song: Live In Europe 1969

Performer: Freddie Hubbard
Producer: Michael Cuscuna; Sonny Lester
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Roland Hanna (piano); Ron Carter (upright bass); Louis Hayes (drums). Recorded in England and Germany in 1969. Personnel: Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Roland Hanna (piano); Ron Carter (bass instrument, upright bass); Louis Hayes (drums). Audio Remixer: Malcolm Addey. Never before available, these 1969 live recordings capture the trumpeter Freddie Hubbard at the height of his formidable powers. Working with a basic quartet including the fine pianist Sir Roland Hanna, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Louis Hayes, Hubbard blasts through seven fiery numbers, including his mentor Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night In Tunisia," Red Garland's "Blues By Five," and a free jazz excursion called "Space Walk." With Ron Carter on board, the virtuosic band bears more than a passing resemblance to Miles Davis's celebrated post-bop quintet active around the same time. The musicians stretch out considerably on these lengthy tracks but they are attuned to one another throughout, and though Hubbard has been criticized for his high-power, blustery technique, here his playing is rich and focused, even lyrical, as evident on the standards "The Things We Did Last Summer" and "Body And Soul."

Down Beat (p.54) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he heart of this collection finds Hubbard looking back at his roots and leading the way with chops intact." JazzTimes (p.61) - "The ease with which Hubbard gets around on his horn here is astonishing. Nothing seems beyond his reach and every idea is instantly realized." Billboard (p.36) - "Hubbard soars with swinging soft tones, flurries of flaming tongues and excited bursts of glee on a hard-driving take on 'A Night in Tunisia'..." Record Collector (magazine) (p.91) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Hubbard's performances are absolutely scintillating....He's never less than captivating."

Freddie Hubbard has always been a trumpet player of great facility, suppleness, and polish. Following his breakthrough with the Jazz Messengers in the late '50s, his burnished tone became a focal point of innumerable Blue Note albums of the '60s, both as leader and sideman. After a foray into fusion in the '70s, he returned to the hard bop of his early career.

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