The Artistry Of Fred

This was originally issued by Impulse at the time when Freddie was in the early days of his contract with Blue Note. The Blue Notes announced the arrival of a new trumpet star and this disc was rather overlooked in the excitement. It shouldn't have been because it was just as good as any of them. It shows Freddie producing some blistering solos, revelling in the fact that as a young man he could do virtually anything on his horn. There is some bravura trumpet here but it is not just display: among all the excitement there was plenty of content.The recording dates from July 1962, and Freddie has with him pretty much an all star line up, with Curtis Fuller on trombone, John Gilmore on tenor, Tommy Flanagan on piano and a rhythm section of Art Davis and Louis Hayes. Two of the tunes are standards, 'Caravan' and 'Summertime', with three originals by Freddie. Both standards are ideal for Freddie, with him exploding over the rhythm on 'Caravan', in much the same way as Dizzy did all those years ago with his big band, and producing a brooding, soulful solo on the Gershwin classic. On the originals he produces crackling solos.Curtis Fuller plays well. He has a big, full tone which can sometimes make him sound stodgy but here he is fluent and swinging with plenty of ideas. Gilmore is possibly the surprise package. The solo mainstay of the Sun Ra Arkestra for many years his appearances elsewhere were comparatively rare. Here, he shows roots in the styles of Coltrane and Rollins but couples this with expansive gestures and original lines to produce some original and very satisfying solos. Flanagan is as he always is, thoughtful, melodic and swinging, with a clarity of thought second only to Hank Jones. Bass and drums play well, supporting firmly and punctuating enough to be interesting but not disruptive. They complete a powerful sextet.A disc without any real weakness and as good an example of the style as you are likely to find.

Pure brilliance and a rare outing of the superb John Gilmore.

CD Review: Verve Impulse! Originals A-27 2009Very good sound quality, it is the drum sound that stands out and is not lost in the mix. Detailed and powerful but without overwhelming the other instruments. The depth of the saxophone is worth noting. A very lifelike recording. The acoustic double bass is the only weak sounding instrument on this recording.I have not set out to write reviews of the music content as “beauty is in the ears of the listener”. These reviews are about the quality (or not) of the recorded sound. To read about how the reviews are done please see my profile.• Clarity – good, open, transparent• Channel separation – excellent, clear left and right channels with a clear centre image which projects into the room• Channel balance – a good basic mix where the instruments and musicians are clearly positioned, A very well defined mix• Sound Stage – very wide, reasonably deep. Projects reasonably well into the room. The sound is very much left and right as the centre image can be very weak• Distortion – non audible• Compression – little or no dynamic or frequency limitation is audible. The piano’s upper registers are very clear as are the double bass’s lower registers• Atmosphere – not a particularly atmospheric recording, verges towards the cold but not clinical. Little sense of place or space• Bass – low frequencies – the drum sound on this recording is outstanding, very crisp clear and realistic. The drums have real tone and a clear ring. They are surprisingly loud on this recording but they do not swamp the fainter instruments. The double bass is a little far back in the mix but is clearly audible. The sound is mellow but lacks presence for much of the recording. When clearly audible it is rich and warm.• Treble – high frequencies – the piano is weak on this recording being a bit lost in the mix but it has good timbre. The cymbals, high hat and snare drum are outstanding, sharp, crisp and clear without being overly bright. The horns, trumpet and sax are superb, crisp, clear and punchy. They soar and range from delicate to intense. The tone and power of the trumpet is crystal clear, the sax has depth and detail. The other percussion such as the wood blocks are so clear.• Vocals - noneAs a general rule of thumb recordings from the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s are nearly always better on the original vinyl. Remasters often fail to please as it’s just not possible to make a silk purse from a sows ear, i.e. the original recording lacks the necessary detail to be processed digitally and show an audible improvement. Indeed such processing can make the sound worse.Modern recordings which have been processed digitally from start to finish can be as good as vinyl. CD’s are often unfairly criticised for being poor quality. This is not the case, it is the original recording or the process which is to blame. Modern “remasters” can both enhance and degrade a recording. The statement GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out) is the limiting factor. Ignore this at your cost.

Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard is in superb form on this stellar sextet session recorded on July 2, 1962 with fine playing from Sun Ra's long-time tenor saxophonist John Gilmore, trombonist Curtis Fuller, pianist Tommy Flanagan, bassist Art Davis & drummer Louis Hayes.The five memorable tracks include three Hubbard originals plus impressive versions of Duke Ellington's 'Caravan' and Gershwin's 'Summertime'.This exhilarating album still sounds fresh almost 60 years later and is essential for all enthusiasts of adventurous hard bop.