Freddie Hubbard's CTI albums

[Daniel A]

I've recently listened quite a lot to Freddie Hubbard's CTI albums and though I know there

are mixed opinions regarding Hubbard's 70's recordings and CTI albums in general, I enjoy

much of these recordings a lot. The jazz content is higher than on many another CTI album

and I also think they have aged better than some of Creed Taylor's other productions of the

early 70s. I can see why some might be disappointed that Hubbard did not evolve as much as a

soloist/improviser (even during his Blue Note years he didn't really develop that much

stylistically). On the other hand I can't help to think that the CTIs would be looked upon

somewhat differently if he had played in the same way, but in completely acoustical

settings. Some of the albums feature Don Sebesky arrangements for woodwinds, brass and/or

strings, and I still think they are among the most tasteful within the genre. Everybody

might not like the way Ron Carter's bass sounds on these recordings, but I think the quality

of on these productions, from sound quality to arrangements and ensemble work, is uniformly

high.

One could argue if there is one single oustanding album among these. Red Clay is usually

considered the album to get. The other albums are more mixed, usually let down by one

or two less satisfying tracks. But I also think that the best tracks fully match the best

ones on "Red Clay". I've written down a few comments for every album; I would like to say

more, really, but then it would result in an absurdly lengthy initial post. I hope to return

to the subject later on. But I'm quite interested in what you others think of these albums.

Red Clay (1970)

Freddie Hubbard (tp); Joe Henderson (ts, fl); Herbie Hancock (el-p, org); Ron Carter (b);

Lenny White (d)

1. Red Clay (Freddie Hubbard) - 12:05

2. The Intrepid Fox (Freddie Hubbard) - 10:40

3. Suite Sioux (Freddie Hubbard) - 8:40

4. Delphia (Freddie Hubbard) - 7:25

5. Cold Turkey (John Lennon) - 10:26

6. Red Clay - (Live, 1971) - 18:45 [bonus track]

A terrific group, and alhough they could probably have handled more advanced material than

these tunes the results are as good as one could expect. It is probably the most consistent

album of Hubbard's CTIs.

The live bonus track from the recent CD reissue is done with a different group consisting of

Stanley Turrentine, George Benson, Johnny Hammond, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham and Airto is a

bit too hysterical for my taste. Without doubt you had to be there.

Straight Life (1970)

Freddie Hubbard (flh, tp); Joe Henderson (ts); Herbie Hancock (el-p); George Benson (el-g);

Ron Carter (b); Jack DeJohnette (d); Richie Landrum, Weldon Irvine (perc)

1. Straight Life (Freddie Hubbard) - 17:30

2. Mr. Clean (Weldon Irvine) - 13:30

3. Here's That Rainy Day (J. Burke/J. Van Heusen) - 5:10

This album has a rather different vibe than "Red Clay"; groovier, but also a bit more "out".

I'm not sure it fully succeeds; Henderson seems to appreciate the setting and I think his

solos are the best of the album. Hubbard displays a bit too much of what usually is called

"fireworks" (or is it "pyrotechnics"?) and Hancock seems as if he's trying to play as

inventive as possible, but ultimately comes out sounding rather pointless and unattractive.

First Light (1971)

Freddie Hubbard (tp, flh); Hubert Laws (fl); Richard Wyands (el-p); George Benson (el-g);

Ron Carter (b); Jack DeJohnette (d); Phil Kraus (vib); Airto Moreira (perc); Don Sebesky

(arr,cond); strings and woodwinds

1. First Light (Freddie Hubbard) - 11:00

2. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (Paul & Linda McCartney) - 8:12

3. Moment to Moment (Henry Mancini/Johnny Mercer) - 5:40

4. Yesterday's Dreams (Don Sebesky/Norman Martin) - 4:55

5. Lonely Town (from "On The Town") (Leonard Bernstein/Comden & Green) - 6:55

6. Fantasy In D / Polar AC (Cedar Walton) - 6:56

7. First Light - (Live, 1971) - 16:04 [bonus track]

Undoubtedly, this must have been one of the more expensive albums to produce. Fo me it also

represents an unmatched mix of tasteful orchestral backgrounds, good tunes and consistently

interesting solos. Hubbard's tone on trumpet and flugelhorn was never better in my

opinion. As on several of the other large-group albums Hubert Laws is featured quite

prominently. I still think of him as one of the best jazz flutists, even if he sadly has

chosen to move out of jazz almost completely for the last 30 years. The reworking of the

Cedar Walton tune is the outstanding track. For the live bonus cut, the same commments as

for the bonus "Red Clay" apply.

Sky Dive (1972)

Freddie Hubbard (tp, flh); Hubert Laws (fl); Keith Jarrett (el-p, p); George Benson (el-g);

Ron Carter (b); Billy Cobham (d); Ray Barretto, Airto (perc); Don Sebesky (arr,cond); brass

and woodwinds

1. Povo (Freddie Hubbard) - 14:43

2. Sky Dive (Freddie Hubbard) - 7:40

3. In A Mist (Bix Beiderbecke) - 7:04

4. Naturally (Nat Adderley) - 5:54

5. The Godfather (Nino Rota) - 7:21

6. Naturally (alt take) - 5:03 [bonus track]

The unusual name in this line-up is of course Keith Jarrett. It astonishes me that he fits

so well in this setting, although I don't think I could have recognized him from just his

playing. Much in the same style as "First Light", this album has even more of a film score

feel, which in my opinion is not a bad thing. Maybe "Povo" is slightly overlong, since it

locks into a rather unimaginative groove rather soon. However, the rest of the tracks more

than make up for that. The two takes of "Naturally" are very good (the alternate take has a

solo from Jarrett as well).

Keep Your Soul Together (1973)

Freddie Hubbard (tp, flh); Junior Cook (ts); George Cables (el-p); Ron Carter (b, el-b);

Ralph Penland (d); Juno Lewis (perc)

1. Brigitte (Freddie Hubbard) - 9:07

2. Keep Your Soul Together (Freddie Hubbard) - 9:52

3. Spirits of Trane (Freddie Hubbard) - 9:07

4. Destiny's Children (Freddie Hubbard) - 10:19

5. Keep Your Soul Together (alt take) - 14:18 [bonus track]

A hint of the direction of Hubbard's albums during the following years. Still, nice to have

Junior Cook on board. On the whole: the solos are getting less interesting, as well as the

tunes. But "Brigitte" has a beautiful Hubbard solo.

Polar AC (1971-73)

Freddie Hubbard (tp, flh); Hubert Laws; Richard Wyands (el-p); George Benson (el-g); Ron

Carter (b); Jack DeJohnette (d); Phil Kraus (vib); Airto Moreira (perc); Don Sebesky

(arr,cond); strings and woodwinds - (1971)

1. Fantasy In D / Polar AC (from "First Light") (C. Walton) - 6:56

Freddie Hubbard (flh); Hubert Laws (fl); George Cables (el-p); George Benson (el-g); Ron

Carter (b); Lenny White (d); Airto Moreira (perc); Bob James (arr,cond); strings - (1972)

2. People Make The World Go Round (Thomas Bell/Linda Creed) - 5:50

Freddie Hubbard (flh); Hubert Laws (fl); Bob James (el-p,arr,cond); George Benson (el-g);

Ron Carter (b); Jack DeJohnette (d); Airto Moreira (perc); strings - (1972)

3. Betcha, By Golly Wow (Thomas Bell/Linda Creed) - 8:09

Freddie Hubbard (tp, flh); Hubert Laws (fl); Keith Jarrett (el-p, p); George Benson (el-g);

Ron Carter (b); Billy Cobham (d); Ray Barretto, Airto (perc); Don Sebesky (arr,cond); brass

and woodwinds - (1972)

4. Naturally (from "Sky Dive") (Nat Adderley) - 5:54

Freddie Hubbard (flh); Junior Cook (ts); Hubert Laws (f); George Cables (el-p); Ron Carter

(b); Lennie White (d) - (1973)

5. Son Of Sky Dive (Freddie Hubbard) - 13:20

This album was a way to get out three unissued tracks after Hubbard had left CTI, padding

them out with two tracks which had already been released. The result is a very listenable

album, which actually is the one I return to the most. "Son of Sky Dive" (which is just

another version of "Sky Dive") is good as anything Hubbard recorded during the 70s (or

after, for that matter). His flugelhorn solo combines lyricism and fire in a way that

strikes me every time. Junior Cook is also playing better than I've ever heard him play on

this track. He could not be mistaken for Joe Henderson, but he reminds me of Henderson in a

positive sense here.

The Columbia albums that followed took a further inevitable step into commercialism. John

Snyder's liner notes for the CD reissue of "Sky Dive" aren't the best ever written - aside

from hyping up the CTI albums to an unreasonable extent (talking about "the magic touch of

Creed" etc.), they also rather unusually (and unfairly) explicitly comment on the

subsequent "decline" of the main artist - but I found it interesting to read the passage

about how Hubbard left CTI:

"It [Hubbard leaving CTI] happened when Freddie's contract was up, and neither he nor Creed

would make the call that would preserve the relationship. Freddie wanted Creed to call him

and ask him to stay, and Creed took the position that if Freddie couldn't see what he,

Creed, had done for him, he may as well leave. And so Freddie did. I remember thinking at

the time, "This is crazy." It only got crazier. Freddie's career went downhill from then on,

and Creed lost most of the artists that comprised one of the great jazz rosters, many for

the very same reason he lost Freddie."

There is also this anectdote (true or not):

"Now picture this. It's 10:00 a.m. at Rudy's in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, in the woods.

There's no coffee, and doughnuts are not allowed at Rudy's. And some days, doesn't even

allow talking.

[...]

On one of Freddie's dates, he lit a cigarette, and blew smoke into Rudy's new mic (Rudy

would cover the labels with tape or remove them altogether, so nobody could cop his moves),

and Rudy stormed out of the studio and didn't come back until the next day. That cigarette

cost Freddie about three grand. But, let's face it, he probably has gotten three grand's

worth of use from retelling this story over the years."

Edited December 30, 2008 by Daniel A

[Guy Berger]

Red Clay has been on my to-buy list for a while. I don't have much of Hubbard as a leader, only two albums.

Guy

[chris olivarez]

I have "Red Clay" and "First Light". While I have mixed feelings about these there's enough to make it work for me. I didn't realize that Freddie had that much recorded output on CTI. Just like most of the CTI albums -OOP.

[Daniel A]

The Sony Legacy reissue of "Red Clay" sounds very good and is available at midprice.

Probably the CTI Hubbard album to start with for those who are not fond of CTI productions in general.

"Straight Life" is even cheaper at CDUniverse ($7.85).

The almost 20 year old reissue of "First Light" is available at CDUniverse for $7.85 as well.

The 2003 reissue was for some reason only released in Europe, I think. It's no striking improvement over the earlier remastering, but it's mastered at a normal sound level whereas the earlier version was a bit muted. It also features an additional (live) bonus cut.

"Sky Dive" is out of print, but still available from CDUniverse. Those interested should grab the opportunity (espescially at $7.95), since CTI reissues from Sony seems to have come to a halt

"Keep Your Soul Together" is long gone, and "Polar AC" has only been reissued on CD in Japan, where it is also OOP.

Edited May 13, 2006 by Daniel A

[BFrank]

I think "Red Clay" and "Straight Life" are essentials for any jazz collector. I wouldn't be able to rate one over the other. They're both VERY solid.

I can't say that any of the other CTIs are nearly as interesting, though.

[chris olivarez]

I would like to have the Airto's.

[Guest akanalog]

joe farrell? he made some good CTI albums. better than hubbards, IMO.

none of these hubbards are as interesting as "outback" or "moon germs" or even "upon this rock" or "the joe farrell quartet", IMO.

i found hubbard's CTI albums boring. though i have never heard "keep your soul together" and suspect i might enjoy that one the most.

i do like hubbard's columbia albums he did after his CTI days more than the CTI stuff.

you didn't mention them, but i would consider those live hubbard/turrentine dates to be hubbard-led CTI albums. i liked one of those OK since they do an extended version of "hornets".

[gdogus]

I'd agree that Red Clay, Straight Life, and First Light, are all certainly worth a listen. I haven't heard the others.

[BFrank]

I just realized I didn't specify that I was talking about Hubbard's CTIs, when I was talking about essentials.

I agree about the Airto's and Farrell's as being solid albums, too. Turrentine's Sugar and Cherry are worthwhile sessions, as well.

I'm sure I'm leaving out some others, but since this thread was specifically about Freddie's CTI albums, that's what I was responding to.

[CJ Shearn]

I have that European First Light with the bonus track, I have to say "Red Clay" is my favorite of Freddie's first 3 for CTI because of the mix of straight ahead and groove tunes.

[kh1958]

I like Red Clay the best (for the spectacular title cut), then Keep Your Soul Together (I think you are underappreciating this one), then First Light (again mostly for the title track).

[mikeweil]

I had them all at one time or another, and sold them all after a while. There are some good tracks on them, and some interesting combinations of musicians - the biggest surprise being the appearance of Keith Jarrett on Sky Dive - but Hubbard dominates all other players on these sessions so much that nobody could come close to stealing the show. His ego begins to show on these productions. He had such good sax players, but wouldn't treat them as equal partners on the records: He's louder in the mix, gets more solo space etc.

He did that to an excellent James Spaulding on one of his last Atlantic LPs, The Black Angel, and it continues on the CTIs. Junior Cook, Joe Henderson - what more can you want. But he wouldn't really let them shine beside him.

One great moment is that somewhat over-arranged but still fascinating rendition of Beiderbecke's In A Mist on Sky Dive.

Just my taste, of course.

I never understood Columbia's reissue policy of the CTI albums - some of the best remain unissued (except for Japan, maybe):

Ron Carter's All Blues with Joe Henderson and Sir Roland Hanna (arguably his best CTI)

Joe Farrell's Outback with Chick Corea, Buster Williams and Elvin Jones.

New York Jazz Quartet Live In Japan - the CD that was issued presented new material, but the one originally issued on Salvation (the sub-label) was equally fine.

Edited May 14, 2006 by mikeweil

[Big Al]

Only have Red Clay and Straight Life and while I like RC, I find SL much more stimulating.

[Jazz Kat]

Anything to hear, "little sunflower."

[DMP]

I have mixed feelings about "Red Clay" (which I've owned in some form since it came out) - great group, good tunes, actually fairly uncompromising considering what CTI would soon become... But Hancock's electric piano, so strong during that period, has always struck me as a little thin, and really colors the date. (The sound is a lot fuller on "Straight Life," but the addition of guitar and percussion may have something to do with the over-all feel.) Also, if I never hear another of those "mysteriouso" (sic?) introductions again...

Edited May 14, 2006 by DMP

[Big Al]

Also, does it seem like Hubbard relies more on those "trills" more and more on his CTI dates? It seems as if he runs out of ideas, he goes to those trills!

[JSngry]

Not to be anal or anything, but they're lip slurs, not trills. It's relevant because lip slurs are an embochure building exercise, and Freddie's increasing willingness to make them such a focal point of so many of his solos maybe goes to establishing a changing mindset, a more macho-trumpet thing.

[kh1958]

I saw Freddie live many times in quartet and quintets, and I actually don't think he ever ran out of ideas.

[Big Al]

Not to be anal or anything, but they're lip slurs, not trills. It's relevant because lip slurs are an embochure building exercise, and Freddie's increasing willingness to make them such a focal point of so many of his solos maybe goes to establishing a changing mindset, a more macho-trumpet thing.

Sorta like Grant Green playing the same note for measures on end, yeah? That's cool that people dig 'em, just not my cup o' soda.

[bigtiny]

First Light was the first jazz album I ever owned....my non-musical mother bought it for me from the Columbia record club because I had just become interested in playing jazz on my 9th grade trumpet....I was and am still in love with this record. I like most of Freddie's records, even the ones where he's playing much more commercial stuff, because he's just a badass....the baddest trumpet player....

I agree that there is a wealth of great music on the CTIs....I still can't figure out why 'Keep Your Soul Together' hasn't been put on CD...it's got some astounding playing on it!

I also recently picked up a couple of the Joe Farrell CTIs - also excellent....

bigtiny

[DMP]

"Keep Your Soul..." was out, probably long gone, though.

[Kari S]

I have mixed feelings about "Red Clay" ... Hancock's electric piano, so strong during that period, has always struck me as a little thin, and really colors the date.

Maybe they mic'd it or recorded it or tuned/set it up wrong, who knows. In the late 60's/very early 70's there are lots of examples of "poor sounding Rhodes" all over the place, where the piano sometimes sounds like a celeste even. I don't think Hancock himself found his perfect "sound" for it until Headhunters, in 1973. It was a lot more fuller, not so staccato but still retaining that percussive feel.

As far as the Hubbard CTIs are considered, I agree that RED CLAY and STRAIGHT LIFE are "musts", especially the forementioned. SKY DIVE is also really good - by the way didn't Jarrett say that he wouldn't touch the electric piano after Miles; he surely plays it here. I actually have all of them, and "Keep Your Soul Together" from 1973 (http://tinyurl.com/ncvpb) is also highly recommended. On POLAR AC, if I remember correctly, he's starting to slip a little into to the slick Columbia period, it features Bob James onboard and some strings etc.

[Guest akanalog]

i remember the sound in general sucking on "red clay".

lenny white, i think, sounded particularly crappy and listening to that album made me think little of white's drumming for a long time.

now i like his style but "red clay" really turned me off.

[baltostar]

Also, does it seem like Hubbard relies more on those "trills" more and more on his CTI dates? It seems as if he runs out of ideas, he goes to those trills!

this is more true of Hub in the 80s, especially live.

70s, I think most of the pyrotechnics were very well used. Hub pretty much invented lip slurring up and down the chromatic and other scales. not even Maynard was doing it like that. and it wasn't a gimmick, it was an expression that could not otherwise be expressed. later, in the 80s, when Hub stopped practicing, he would fall back on a lot of this (by then) junk, but there's so many ups and downs in the man's career mid-70s onwards ... drop in an ocean.

as far as raw trumpet... have you listened recently to the live Red Clay (with Cobham not White and Turrentine not Henderson) ... Hub's 2nd improv is mind-boggling. the mix of seamless groove, timing, and raw emotion makes it an eternal statement on the horn. the man was ON.

if you want ideas, i'm not sure 70s Hub is the place to look. i like Freddie's style all-around on these dates ... but where it's really at is Hub & Co. taking you off into another world ! Mr. Clean and Cold Turkey are some of the hippest chill ever cooked.

Red Clay, Straight Life, Keep Your Soul Together, First Light, Sky Dive ... i've never stopped listening to any of these for 25 years.

i also disagree that Hub overshadowed his bandmates on the CTIs. it's standard practice for a leader to take more improv time. Henderson in particular lays down some of the most fascinating rapidly metamorphosizing lines in his career. the way Joe was playing in the early 70s was revolutionary in my opinion. not even Wayne was floating out endless segments of self-finishing ideas that continue to spiral around you as you're enticed onwards in the hippest most unpredictable other directions like Joe was at that time.

i wish i could find more live stuff from that period. i prefer it to electric Miles.

Edited May 18, 2006 by baltostar

[Big Al]

Don't forget Stanley Turrentine's SUGAR. Stanley and Freddie challenge and complement each other ferociously, just like on the live version of "Red Clay."

Any other recordings with these two on the front line to recommend?