Negative Positive
Title: Hubbard at hard bop/modal best
Review: Freddie Hubbard had some of his peak years at Blue Note where he made some excellent albums like "Ready for Freddie", "Hub-tones", "Blue Spirits" and this ringer, the first for his own group featuring a promising drummer, Joe Chambers, who would make his name as a composer also. His Indiana cohort, the under-rated James Spaulding, is on hand to provide Hub the push on tunes like "D-minor Mint", Chambers' classic ballad, "Mirrors", and the title tune, a study in modality plus tinges of Latin/Caribbean soul. This is the same group I saw in San Francisco at the now defunct Both/And and it cooked then--and it does on this record. Though his chops are practically gone nowadays, one should relish this great classic album as one of Hubbards finest, if not the finest!!
Is the review positive or negative? 