Blankets of Groove, Soul, and Clouds - Jazz Masters at their Best
Written: Aug 15 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A fusion milestone: Latin, funk, and a touch of bop; all with an orchestral blanket.
Cons: Freddie Hubbard composed only the title tune. I'd like to hear more of that!
The Bottom Line: It is a must-have for a jazz trumpet-lover or anyone interested in orchestral and/or groovy fusion. Stellar line-up, stunning sound, wraps you up and swings you around.
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| Adamjazz's Full Review: First Light [Japan] by Freddie Hubbard |
I started getting into jazz a few years ago, and I went up to this guy I knew, his name was Steve, a trumpet player who won all sorts of awards but you'd never know by talking to him. I told him "I want to learn jazz." Well, he being a veteran musician, knew better than I how vast the jazz world is, so he had me narrow it down to the type of sound I like. "Well, I like funk, I like Latin stuff, lots of layers, but nothing crazy like rapid-fire chord changes and nonsensical melodies. But a bit off the mark just the same." So he made me small list to start with, consisting of Freddie Hubbard's Sky Dive, Red Clay, and to top it, First Light.
Upon my first listen I had to turn the volume way up, past what I would usually put for the loudly-recorded funk and rock, the previous residents in my CD player. The bass on First Light I still wish had a bit more emphasis, but the tunes are so rhythmic for the most part that they hold their own, and the percussion is colorful and precise, so that does the job. And besides, there's just way too much going on in all the other ranges. This is not your Miles Davis type of jazz-rock-just-plain-evil-electronica type of fusion. No no, this is a softer but vaster sound, with a large string section, horns, bassoon, oboe, clarinet, and flutes. But the orchestra is just the icing on the cake, which is just as tasty even if it was baked in 1971, and it's because of these quality ingredients:
Hubbard - trumpet and flugelhorn
Jack DeJohnette - drums
Ron Carter - bass
Richard Wyands - piano
George Benson - guitar
Airto Moreira - percussion
Phil Kraus - vibes
Hubert Laws - (solo) flute
These are the cream of the jazz crop right here, and it shows.
The first tune, "First Light," is a Latin-based groove that's pretty much a one-chord deal for the entire 11 minutes. But leave it up to Hubbard to keep it exciting just the same. God his trumpet soars, so clean and bright. And when Benson takes his turn, he absolutely smokes. And the vibes glaze it over with dreaminess while the strings lull into the air. The flute also has a lovely habit of gliding in and out at the perfect moments.
The second number, an instrumental take on the Beatles' "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" starts off on the slow classical side, and then hits on to high gear and climbs to a hard-hitting funk that's gotta make you stomp. Benson smokes yet again on this track, along with a cutting flute solo to wrap things up, courtesy of Hubert Laws in his prime (well, like everyone else).
There are four more tunes on the CD... my favorite after the first two is the last one, entitled "Fantasy in D." It whisks me away every time. I hate to answer the "Great Music to Play While" option because there's such a variety of moods here. The beginnings of tracks 3 through 5, for instance, are all string-saturated dreariness. It's kind of like reading Dostoevski at first, but then they pick up and walk into other regions.
If you want Freddie Hubbard at the pinnacle of his career, on the album that he said himself was his favorite, and/or if you want a fusion milestone that will keep coming back to your player, get this CD.
Oh, did I mention that all the tunes are recorded in one take in full? Yep. If someone solos after Freddie and messes up, the group has to do the entire song over, which means the band-leader won't be too happy. Not that these guys would make a mistake anyway. Naw, when recording time comes around, the gurus just express that magic that's pulsed through them for years. They make it look so easy...
Recommended:
Yes
Great Music to Play While: Driving
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Epinions.com ID:
Adamjazz
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Member: Adam Friedman
Location: Boston, MA
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Social and spiritual change dude with a wicked sense of humor and a big grin.
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