Freddie Hubbard, "Ready for Freddie" '67 issue. Ultrsonic cleaned, shrink wrap

Play tested and ready for your listening pleasure.Mastered by Van Gelder. Shure V15 cartridge was used to test this record.

Apart from the famous and legendary Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong or Clifford Brown, who comes to mind immediately, there is also a trumpeter who is very close to equaling them: Freddie Hubbard. As I explained in my previous review about him, Freddie Hubbard arrived in the circuit early in the late 50s and early 60s when he was barely 20 years old. It was impossible not to think of him as a gem. He was such a prodigy that he became very quickly a luxury sideman and an assertive leader. With only one exception, his entire discography as a leader during the sixties is impeccable and without any scratches, with more than ten really solid albums. Personally, I have a weakness for Open Sesame (1960) and Ready For Freddie (1962), which in my opinion are the most distinguished from the others.

During the 60's, as a leader Freddie Hubbard is mainly practiced Hard-bop, with sometimes some nuances of modal jazz. He remains one of the few to still perform and be creative (as far as possible) on a Hard Bop that was at that time on the verge of extinction. As a sideman, when I say that he is a "luxury team player", I still find the adjective too weak and doesn't value him enough. In 1962, Freddie Hubbard was only 24 years old, yet you get the impression that he can do anything. His ability to adapt is just phenomenal. Not counting his 3 albums as a leader (before Ready For Freddie), he had already collaborated for more than 20 leaders, on more than 30 albums. Here are a few examples: Ornette Coleman: Free Jazz (1961), John Coltrane: Africa/Brass (1961), Oliver Nelson: The Blues and The Abstract Truth (1961) or Art Blakey - Mosaic (1962). Moreover Freddie Hubbard, who specialized in Hard bop before moving on to Soul Jazz/Jazz Funk in the 70's, juggled perfectly with several styles: Post-bop, Modal, Avant-Garde Jazz and Free Jazz. It's totally impressive when you think about it. Freddie Hubbard adapts and shines in every one of his collaborations. He always manages to integrate well into a team, to follow the leader's recommendations perfectly while bringing a very precious added value. Without him, the albums in which he participated would not be the same.

If I wanted to write all his details, it's because we wonder how he manages, after all that and without a break, to have enough inspiration and imagination to produce albums that are still as interesting and enjoyable as ever. In itself, there's not much to say about the album Ready For Freddie, not because there's no interest, but mainly because this album is actually a more accomplished and sophisticated version of his first Open Sesame. I tend to prefer his work as a sideman to solo work, but I have to admit that there aren't many albums of this quality. Recorded during an August 1961 session on Blue Note (his first label), Ready For Freddie is a demonstration of his technical talent as a player and/or composer. Apart from Art Davis, whom he had already hired on a previous album, Freddie Hubbard chose to compose a brand new team with talented and recognized musicians. There was only tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter with whom he had never played before. There was the pianist McCoy Tyner and the drummer Elvin Jones, present on John Coltrane's Africa/Brass and finally the Euphonium player Bernard McKinney with whom he had played in the Slide Hampton orchestra in 1959. If you're a big fan of very technical and energetic hard-bop, you can't help but love Ready For Freddie. Moreover the album is carried by the superb compositions Birdlike and Crisis, which show the aspect of urgency that comes out throughout. Freddie Hubbard knew how to transmit this deep intensity, without ever making his works messy
 1608 (GS 9.5 (1608))