Freddie Hubbard - But Beautiful (1960)

From the Hardbop Homepage tribute to Tina Brooks:

“It was Ike Quebec who introduced him to Freddie Hubbard. “Ike Quebec introduced me to Tina at the 845 Club. Ike also introduced me to Alfred Lion. I loved Tina. He had a nice feeling. I got into him before I got into Hank (Mobley). He would write shit out on the spot and it would be beautiful. He wrote “Gypsy Blue” for me on the first record and I loved it. I just loved it. Tina made my first record date wonderful. He wrote and played beautifully. What a soulful, inspiring cat. I loved him.”

Freddie’s session took place on June 19, 1960. And Tina did play beautifully. He also wrote “Open Sesame” and “Gypsy Blue” and arranged “But Beautiful.” Exactly one week later, Tina made his second album True Blue and Freddie Hubbard was the trumpeter. Both albums were released that fall.

Tina Brooks was a shooting star in the jazz night sky who burned out way too soon. Catch him blowing one of the all-time great tenor sax solos on his composition “Street Singer,” which appears on Jackie McLean’s Jackie’s Bag. 

Freddie Hubbard - For Spee’s Sake (1962)

Another crowd-pleasing burner from one of the greatest.

Happy birthday “Hub.” 

i12bent:

Freddie Hubbard: Cunga Black - from Blue Spirits (1965)

Personnel: Freddie Hubbard: trumpet; James Spaulding: alto saxophone; Joe Henderson: tenor saxophone; Harold Mabern, Jr.: piano; Larry Ridley: bass; Clifford Jarvis: drums; Big Black: conga; Kiane Zawadi: euphonium

(via bainer)

Happy birthday Freddie.

I love Ordinary Finds.

Freddie Hubbard and Curtis Fuller during Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers’ Free For All session, Englewood Cliffs NJ, February 10 1964 (photo by Francis Wolff)

Freddie Hubbard performing live at the Village Vanguard with J.J. Johnson, NYC July 1960 (photo by Francis Wolff)

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers Live in Sanremo Italy — March 3, 1963

Rare Italian television footage of a prime-time Messengers lineup:

Wayne Shorter - sax; Freddie Hubbard - trumpet; Curtis Fuller - trombone; Cedar Walton - piano; Reggie Workman - bass; Art Blakey - drums

(Source: youtube.com)

[left to right] Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Fuller, and Wayne Shorter during Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers’ Mosaic session, Englewood Cliffs NJ, October 2 1961 (photo by Francis Wolff)

Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers - Crisis (1961)

From Leonard Feather’s liner notes on the Japanese debut of this Messengers sextet:

The type of audience reached by Art and his men in Japan, the sensitivity of the reaction, and the financial success of the tour, made the return home seem sadly anticlimactic. “We’ve played a lot of countries,” said Art, “but never before had the whole band been in tears when we left.”

Japan loves Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers.

Freddie Hubbard during Hank Mobley’s The Turnaround session, Englewood Cliffs NJ, February 5 1965

Kiane Ziwadi, on euphonium, with Freddie Hubbard during Hubbard’s Ready For Freddie session, Englewood Cliffs NJ August 21 1961 (photo by Francis Wolff)