Hub Songs

[Larry Kart]

https://www.allmusic.com/album/hub-songs-the-music-of-freddie-hubbard-mw0000031683

Had modest expectations, and was I surprised. This 1998 album of Freddie Hubbard pieces -- played by Tim Hagans, Marcus Printup, Javon Jackson, Vincent Herring, Benny Green, Peter Washington, and Kenny Washington -- is quite something. Freddie was the producer, he and board member David Weiss wrote the charts. the late Bob Belden was executive producer. The nature of the date, a semi-tribute to the damaged-lip Hubbard, made me wary, but the music-making is fresh and very intense. Hagans I've long admired (back in the early '80s I enthusiastically reviewed his first album on an obscure Cincinnati-based label), but Printup I'd thought of as just another Young Lion. Wrong -- at least on the evidence here; he's got a brain, chops, and a heart. Kudos as well to Benny Green; he plays his ass off. Engineer is Jim Anderson, also at his best. 

 

 

A sample: On both, Printup has the first tpt. solo, Hagans the second:
 

 

[Rooster_Ties]

This is disc I've thought about picking up a couple dozen times, but just never have.  Probable will, next time I see it used somewhere (or at Dusty Groove, if I'm ordering other stuff).

[felser]

Just ordered used copy from Amazon marketplace.  David Weiss is a fabulous arranger - his participation and Larry's recommendation are plenty enough to convince me, especially since I love Hubbard's best work so much.  Thanks, Larry!

[Dan Gould]

Had it for 20 years (a group of Young Lions playing a classic songbook - that was a no-brainer to me back then if not now) maybe I should pull it out for a spin. Now where did I file that one .... Hagans, Printup or Hubbard? Printup or Hubbard, I'm betting.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

55 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

Had it for 20 years (a group of Young Lions playing a classic songbook - that was a no-brainer to me back then if not now) maybe I should pull it out for a spin. Now where did I file that one .... Hagans, Printup or Hubbard? Printup or Hubbard, I'm betting.

This looks like one I would file under V for Various Artists.

[felser]

I tend to file tribute albums with multiple leaders under the artist they are tributing, so if this makes my permanent shelves, it will go under "Hubbard".

[JSngry]

Co-leaders, not Various Artists.

billed as Hagans & Printup.

Goes under H, and after the Hagans led-alone inventory.

[Dan Gould]

1 hour ago, Dan Gould said:

Had it for 20 years (a group of Young Lions playing a classic songbook - that was a no-brainer to me back then if not now) maybe I should pull it out for a spin. Now where did I file that one .... Hagans, Printup or Hubbard? Printup or Hubbard, I'm betting.

It's under Printup because I was pretty consistently picking up his BN releases back then.  But I think it will be re-filed with Hubbard discs as I found this one located there, Apparently Javon Jackson was the go-to tenor for this kind of thing.   Eddie Henderson, Marcus Belgrave, Wallace Roney but not so much interaction, only one track with more than one trumpeter.

 

[Kevin Bresnahan]

I somewhat surprised that I don't still own this. I know I owned it at one point but i can't find it for anything. Time to search under Hagans or Printup.

[JSngry]

History will be more than kind to those who found ways to keep Freddie busy (i.e. - keep getting paid) when his chops failed.

[felser]

13 minutes ago, JSngry said:

History will be more than kind to those who found ways to keep Freddie busy (i.e. - keep getting paid) when his chops failed.

Are there other Hubbard tribute albums similar to the two mentioned in this thread?  Also, props to David Weiss, who I believe did a LOT for Hubbard.

[JSngry]

I don't know about albums, but I seem to remember gigs where he led groups but did not actually play, or played very little.

Business is not always this kind. Cuscuna did it with Andrew Hill (and maybe Sam Rivers?), somebody did it for Roy Eldridge (it seemed, he did lecture gigs after he couldn't play). It does happen, people in the business making sure something is there to come in. But it's not the norm, imo.

[Peter Friedman]

This same thing happened with Buck Clayton. When he could no longer play, he was hired to do arrangements, and he led a band for a while, in which he did not play.

[Kevin Bresnahan]

16 hours ago, Peter Friedman said:

This same thing happened with Buck Clayton. When he could no longer play, he was hired to do arrangements, and he led a band for a while, in which he did not play.

It's been years but wasn't his inability to play somehow related to an event and not a loss of chops? Was he the one I heard got caught messing with the wrong woman and got his jaw busted for it? If so, I wonder if he kept his band together because he thought maybe he could get back to playing?

[JSngry]

Are you maybe thinking of Thad Jones?

[Kevin Bresnahan]

2 hours ago, JSngry said:

Are you maybe thinking of Thad Jones?

Ah, yeah , that sounds right.

[Larry Kart]

IIRC, Clayton was regarded as a talented arranger long before he was unable to play.

[JSngry]

yep.

[Peter Friedman]

Yes, that's true, but once he stopped playing it seemed he got more arranging gigs. Here is one of them.

[JSngry]

I wasn't there, but it sure seems that there was a core of people at that time/place (NYC/1970s) that really had the back of a lot of those Old Testament Basie-ites. Seems like there was a sense of almost sacred responsibility to keep that thing alive. Keeping Buck Clayton active, writing and fronting a band, that certainly would be in line with that sense of saying "thank you" in deeds as well as words.

Maybe I'm wrong? Still, look at the Countsmen.

[sidewinder]

I remember seeing Buck Clayton’s band (minus Buck - who had passed away about 6 months previously) at Town Hall in NYC in the early 90s. Fond memories.