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"Without a Song"
Freddie Hubbard is undeniably a jazz legend. He performed with John
Coltrane, wrote tunes that have become jazz standards, and widened the
vocabulary of the trumpet. Without a Song captures Hubbard playing
during his 1969 tour of Europe. This re-release by Blue Note Records
includes five standards and two Hubbard Originals.
The title track, “Without a Song”, features Hubbard at his best –
harmonically complex with breath taking runs and a powerful controlled
sound. Hubbard pays homage in “A Night in Tunsia”, a tune originally by
trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie. Notable on this track is pianist Roland
Hanna’s spirited solo. In contrast to the up-tempo bop of “A Night in
Tunsia”, delicate sounds are explored in a slow rendition of the
classic ballad “Body and Soul”. Here Hubbard soulfully plays the
melody before going into an energetic solo. The two originals on this
release are “Space Track” and “Hub-Tones”. Both are rife with free
playing and dynamic contrasts.
Throughout this disc a rhythm section accompanies Hubbard with Ron
Carter on bass and Louis Hayes on drums. Carter has an incredible ear
and punctuates his playing with double stops and an ability to break up
time. Hayes swings hard and provides a wide palette of timbres.
Although Hubbard left us in December of 2008, this disc captures some
of his essence. It is sure to be a treat to any Hubbard fan and is well
worth investigating to those new to the trumpeter.
-Jarvis Raymond
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