Freddie Hubbard died this morning in the Sherman Oaks district of Los Angeles. He was hospitalized there since he had a heart attack on November 26. Hubbard was 70.
Freddie Hubbard, the last great trumpet stylist and innovator in jazz, has been through a miserable few years. He failed to care for an infected split lip and attempted, with characteristic Hubbard bravado, to overblow through the problem. Surgery made it worse. He told me that royalties from his compositions have brought him a comfortable living, but that not being able to play well has kept him frustrated. For him there is agony in the solution, the dogged hard work to rebuild his embouchure. Although he knows that playing long tones saved other trumpeters, he said, “Man, that sh– is so boring.” Hubbard’s constitution and metabolism militate against boredom.
The nonagenarian pianist presented de Barros with every biographer’s hope, unrestricted access to his subject’s personal papers and nearly unrestricted access to her private thoughts. He made the most of it, turning exhaustive research and hundreds of hours of interviews into a true story with the sweep of a novel. From the early discovery of McPartland’s musical gift through her wartime service, her ecstatic and stormy marriage to Jimmy McPartland, her growth as a pianist, her deep affair with Joe Morello, and the radio show that made her a national figure, she has had a fascinating life. It makes a splendid read.
Mulligan’s Concert Jazz Band had three fewer musicians than most big jazz outfits. Its size permitted precision, flexibility and subtlety, yet the band had the power of sprung steel. In this concert from a half century ago, the CJB is as fresh as yesterday. Arrangements by Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer, Al Cohn and Johnny Mandel set standards to which big band writers still aspire. Bassist Buddy Clark and drummer Mel Lewis inspired Mulligan, Brookmeyer, Conte Candoli, Gene Quill and Zoot Sims to some of the best soloing of their careers. This beautifully produced issue of the complete concert is a basic repertoire item.
CTI or not, my favorite ‘HubTones’ were ‘SuperBlue’ & Red Clay’. Had the opportunity to see him in the late 70′s & see him extend those tunes out. Freddie was a class act the moment he took the stage-quite an aura, & bravura that we don’t see much in the entertainment world these days. Bless ya Mr. Hubbard!
Thanks for the clips and commentary… Freddie Hubbard, B.I.F. (Bring It, Freddie!)
What a loss…..great memories though…rest in peace.
My favorite work of Freddie’s was often on albums not under his own name. In honor of his passing, you should listen to his work on Art Blakey’s ‘Free For All’ and Herbie Hancock’s ‘Maiden Voyage’. I certainly will.
Oh, we will miss you Mr Freddie Hubbard. I heard him play so many times in clubs in Boston and New York in the 70s and 80s and talked with him quite a bit. And then later on, I saw him again back in Boston when he was having lip, embouchure probems. It was painful to see him strugling to play but still trying to make the most out of it. He wanted to play like he always had, full of energy, emotion, but just could not do it. After the first set I talked to him and he told me: Why me? why is this shit happening to me? I don’t deserve it. It’s so frustrating….But this is life, and life goes on. We will always remember and continue to listen to the great music you left for all of us. Rest in Peace Mr. Hubbard.
While we may have missed Freddie playing with his normal exuberance over the last few years, we certainly have been blessed with the extensive discography that Mr.Hubbard left behind. His CTI recordings showcased his ability to play with sensitivity and passion, and provided a great contrast to the soaring, fiery flights shown on many of his other recordings. We’ll miss ya Freddie…………
The most influential jazz trumpet god over the past 50 years is gone. There was never anyone like him and never will be. There was no genre of music that challenged him, his style was so flexible and his musicianship was the best. Whether playing hard bop on Hank Mobley’s Roll Call date or the free jazz of Eric Dolphy’s “Out To Lunch,” the incredible sessions with the Hancock-Carter-Williams rhythm section such as Herbie Hancock albums “Maiden Voyage” or “Empyrean Isles” and Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil” all the way through his most commercial ventures like “Bundle of Joy” or “Ride Like the Wind”, proved he was not only a master of the trumpet but a first rate musician who was not limited to any classification. The era is over,and we can only be grateful that through recordings his horn will never be stilled. I love you Freddie Hubbard. I first saw him as a teenager around 1976 or ’77 promoting “Windjammer” and I eventually worked my way back through his CTI, Atlantic and Blue Note years. I last saw him around 1992, and he was sad about his lip having gone infected. We talked about doing an interview for the defunct Jazz Trumpet Journal but it never came about,in part because I felt I could not truly reach the level of musical sophistication necessary to capture such a life in print. We will miss him, and for those who play trumpet and trombone, he will live in each of our sounds forever.
Beautiful remembrance, Mr. Ramsey.
Thanks, Doug, for your always thoughtful reflections. I have one Freddie story I’d like to share. In the mid 80′s we presented him in a free concert at UCLA’s Wadsworth Theatre. He played “Thermo” (from the Blakey days), Monk’s “Epistrophy” and closed with a fantastic version of “Red Clay.” One particular highlight was his heart-wrenching take on “Here’s That Rainy Day.” The audience was so moved that the applause went on and on… it dipped for a bit… Freddie said “Thank you, thank you.” Then the applause came on even stronger. After a bit, Freddie with a surpised turn in his voice said “Thank you!” And once the applause died down completely he said “you hear me play rock and roll, now you buy that too!” Then he added a “nah… Sunday jazz… this is nice.”
The world has lost the best jazz trumpeter who ever lived. May your soul rest in peace, Freddie; you will never be forgotten by those of us who knew you.
Tribute to Freddie Hubbard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0aCiz96IQU&feature=channel_page
It’s very sad that he’s gone. I unfortunately never saw Freddie live on stage, just once on TV. This was a very weird concert in Viersen, telecast later by the WDR, Germany. They really shouldn’t have done that! It was pure horror for me as a compassionate trumpet colleague, to see Freddie move his horn wildly around, then trying to play and nothing happened. No sound came out. Please remember: all on TV! — A few minutes later he tried to sing the blues, which was even worse.
I don’t tell you about what was supposed to be an interview. It was just a nothing. I felt very sorry for Freddie. He hadn’t deserved that.
R.I.P. Freddie Hubbard. You can be sure that the best moments of your legacy will stand the test of time. My name links you to a short review on Freddie Hubbard. There you can listen to one of his greatest solos in full length.
Thanks for the nice articles on Freddie Hubbard. What a loss for us
woulda been trumpeters. What chops and what lyricism that Aires
conveyed.
He really lit up the 70′s with all those CTI gems. It’s hard not to
surf down here without having First Light or Sky Dive playing in my
head over as the next swell approaches. Not any less wonderful was the
music of Mosaic, my fav of his AB Jazz Messengers outings with Golson
and Fuller out front. Some things just stick in one’s heart and play
again and again no matter when. Music like his doth soothe indeed.
Alex in New Zealand
It is with extreme disappointment I am out of town and can not attend
Hub’s funeral. I wanted to say a few words in heartfelt respect to my hero. The simple and huge fact is that Freddie gave me a chance. What I learned from playing with him is not measurable by words.
I can say with certainty that playing with Freddie changed my life.
Equivalent to climbing Mt. Everest in the jazz world, if you could run
the gauntlet on stage with Freddie and survive, it made you stronger. I loved him for his musical genius and his sweet soul. He was uncompromising, encouraging, fearless, tender, breathtaking and audacious. There are very few that come along to have such a profound contribution and leave such a void in their passing. Freddie defined the essence of jazz and remarkably set the bar so high with such ease. I am so honored for the privilege of playing next to him. Rest in peace and thank you my teacher. It is an experience I cherish and will never forget.
(Bob Sheppard played saxophones in Freddie Hubbard’s band in the 1990s — DR))
Freddie was and will always be the “guy” for me. Nobody swung like him. No one.
Blues and the Abstract Truth
Breaking Point
Ready for Freddie
Red Clay
V.S.O.P
Keep Your Soul Together
Out To Lunch (Dolphy)