Freddie Hubbard (tr); Joe Henderson (ts); Herbie
Hancock (el p, org); Ron Carter (b); Lenny White (d)
Recorded on January 27 - 29, 1970
Believe it or not, it took me several
years to compile the list of recordings I’ve chosen to feature in this project. In some cases, deciding which record to
include was difficult. But today’s
choice wasn’t hard. In fact, when I began
this project, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard’s Red Clay was one that I immediately
knew would be on the list. It’s one of my
all-time favorites, a personal "desert-island disc."
Recorded in the first month of the new decade
for Creed Taylor’s CTI, Red Clay was Hubbard’s first for the label. Hubbard was well-served by CTI, but Red Clay
stands above the rest. I’m not sure that I believe
in the concept of an “essential” record, but everyone who loves jazz owes it to
themselves to hear this at least once.
According to the liner notes, this
was the record that Freddie thought was his best. If you listen, it’s not hard to understand why. From the opening fanfare, Freddie plays
beautifully, with remarkable power and lyricism. Every sideman is an all-star, elevating the
session with their contributions. And
the compositions, all written by Hubbard (except for John Lennon's "Cold Turkey," which is included on CD but was not on the original LP release), are memorable—especially the title
cut, which has become a jazz standard.
More Freddie Hubbard
I think Freddie’s CTI
recordings are the strongest records he made during the 1970s. After Red Clay, I’d rate Straight
Life (1970), First Light (1971), and Keep Your Soul Together
(1973) as his best. But don’t overlook Freddie’s
Columbia LPs from the latter half of the decade. There's some fine music
there, even if they are less consistent.
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