Customer Reviews

Born to Be Blue

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Grab your credit card and order this one quick. In my opinion, this is one of Freddie Hubbard's finest recordings. He blows hard, fast and beautifully. This CD is in the hard bop tradition and the music is wonderful.

For this recording date, Freddie teamed up with sax ace Harold Land, keyboard player Billy Childs, bassist Larry Klein, and drummer Steve Houghton (his working band at the time).

I would like to also mention that the recording quality of this date is also wonderforl. Despite being recorded in 1982, engineer Allen Sides did a WONDERFUL job; the recording is clean, crisp and captures the magic of this date. The master tapes must of been well cared for all these years.

So, if your a Freddie Hubbard fan and you don't own this one, you must add this to your collection.

Everytime I listen to this CD I realize just how terrific this trumpet player was and how much I miss Freddie making music today. He was in top notch, creative form on this recording.

Song List
1. Gibraltar
2. True Colors
3. Born To Be Blue
4. Joy Spring
5. Up Jumped Spring


Album Credits
Billy Childs, Contributing Artist
Harold Land, Contributing Artist
Steve Houghton, Contributing Artist
Allen Sides, Engineer
Freddie Hubbard, Producer


Album Notes
Personnel: Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Harold Land (tenor saxophone); Billy Childs (keyboards); Larry Klein (bass); Steve Houghton (drums); Buck Clark (percussion).

Recorded at Ocean Way Recording Studio, Hollywood, California on December 14, 1981.

Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (1992, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).

Hubbard is possessed of one of the purest gifts and hard-work ethics in contemporary jazz, and both are on display here. This Pablo recording was originally released in 1982 then digitally re-mastered and re-released in '92. Hubbard and his trumpet are back to exploring the roots of his creative genius here after an extended venture into the more commercial soul-funk crossover market.

Joining Hubbard is Harold Land (tenor saxophone), frequent Hubbard collaborator Billy Childs (piano), Larry Klein (bass), Steve Houghton (drums), and Buck Clark (percussion). The sextet immediately settles into a special zone on Hubbard's composition "Gibralter," working a cool Latin groove for all it's worth. Hubbard has often been linked in the lineage of jazz trumpeting to the late, great Clifford Brown. That connection becomes beautifully apparent on Brown's "Joy Spring," as Hubbard's soloing combines reverence with his own unique sonic curiosity. BORN TO BE BLUE is Hubbard truly at home.

THIS IS FREDDIE AT THE TOP OF HIS "CRAFT"! "UP JUMPED SPRING" IS A STANDARD THAT ALL
JAZZ MUSICIANS SHOULD KNOW!