''Blue Spirits'' is an album by trumpeter

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

released on the Blue Note label. It would be his last studio album for Blue Note, recorded in the 1960s. It features performances by Hubbard, James Spaulding,

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

, Harold Mabern, Jr., Larry Ridley, Clifford Jarvis, Big Black,

Kiane Zawadi Bernard Atwell McKinney, later Kiane Zawadi (born November 26, 1932) is an American jazz trombonist and euphonium player, one of the few jazz soloists on the latter instrument. Biography McKinney was born into a family of ten children, several ...

Hank Mobley Henry "Hank" Mobley (July 7, 1930 – May 30, 1986) was an American hard bop and soul jazz tenor saxophonist and composer. Mobley was described by Leonard Feather as the "middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone", a metaphor used to descr ...

, McCoy Tyner,

Bob Cranshaw Melbourne Robert Cranshaw (December 3, 1932 – November 2, 2016) was an American jazz bassist. His career spanned the heyday of Blue Note Records to his recent involvement with the Musicians Union. He is perhaps best known for his long associa ...

Pete LaRoca Pete "La Roca" Sims (born Peter Sims; April 7, 1938 – November 20, 2012, known as Pete La Roca from 1957 until 1968) was an American jazz drummer and attorney. Born and raised in Harlem by a pianist mother and a stepfather who played trumpet, ...

. The CD release added tracks from a 1966 session featuring Hosea Taylor,

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

, Reggie Workman, and Elvin Jones.

Reception

Allmusic reviewer Scott Yanow stated: "The set is seven diverse Hubbard originals and, even though none of the songs caught on to become standards, the music is quite challenging and fairly memorable." As stated in the liner notes, "The use of a fourth horn for this album, coupled with an exclusive focus on Hubbard's compositions, really threw light on the trumpeter's command of harmony, which is such a critical part of both his improvising and writing personality". Hubbard's playing here is among his best, and this album "is arguably the best recorded example of the Hubbard/James Spaulding partnership"2003 reissue liner notes by Bob Blumenthal which had been ongoing for the previous two years.

Track listing

All compositions by Freddie Hubbard # "Soul Surge" - 10:24 # "Blue Spirits" - 12:14 # "Outer Forces" - 9:35 # "Cunga Black" - 5:15 # "Jodo" - 7:07 # "The Melting Pot" - 7:36 Bonus track on CD # "True Colors" - 9:53 Bonus track on CD ''Recorded on February 19, 1965 (#1, 4), February 26, 1965 (#2, 3, 5) and March 5, 1966 (#6-7).''

Personnel

Tracks 1, 4 *

- trumpet * James Spaulding - alto saxophone (1), flute (4). *

- tenor saxophone * Harold Mabern - piano * Larry Ridley - bass * Clifford Jarvis - drums *

Big Black Big Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Nake ...

congas The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest) ...

- euphonium Tracks 2, 3, 5 *Freddie Hubbard - trumpet *

- tenor saxophone *James Spaulding - alto saxophone (3 & 5), flute (2). * McCoy Tyner - piano *

- bass *

- drums *Kiane Zawadi - euphonium Tracks 6-7 *Freddie Hubbard - trumpet *Joe Henderson - tenor saxophone *Hosea Taylor - alto saxophone (6), bassoon (7). *

- piano (6), harpsichord (7). * Reggie Workman - bass * Elvin Jones - drums

Notes

On the CD reissue of ''Blue Spirits'', track 7 is listed as Hancock performing on the celeste, although it sounds like a harpsichord.

References

{{Authority control 1967 albums Freddie Hubbard albums Blue Note Records albums Albums produced by Alfred Lion Albums recorded at Van Gelder Studio