FREDDIE HUBBARD
The Black Angel (Koch Jazz)
Reviewed by Ron Saranich

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The Black Angel was recorded in 1970, just before Hubbard went on to stardom with his work for the CTI label (his "First Light" was a Grammy Winner in 1972). Prior to The Black Angel, Hubbard had played with such Bop luminaries as John Coltrane, Art Blakely, Wes Montgomery, J.J. Johnson, and Herbie Hancock, to name just a few. However, Hubbard also played on two seminal avant-garde albums--Ornette Coleman's "Free Jazz" and Eric Dolphy's "Out To Lunch." Hubbard, therefore, had quite an eclectic background when he entered the studio with a group featuring Jimmy Spaulding on alto sax and flute (who had played earlier with Sun Ra), Kenny Drew on piano and electric piano, Reggie Workman on bass, Louis Hayes on drums, and Carlos Valdes on congas and maracas. Given this band, the music on this disc tends to be more explorative Jazz, with latent Rock influences.

The title of the opening number, "Spacetrack," is self-descriptive. The song meanders at a leisurely pace, then explodes in a rush of notes like a comet across the night sky. The band performs well as a unit, understanding when to raise and lower the intensity level. Throughout the disc (but especially on the slower numbers "Eclipse" and "The Black Angel"), Hubbard, Spaulding, and Barron offer wonderful solos bordering on the outer fringes of Hard Bop. The interplay among the three lead players is notable, but it is Hubbard's superb use of technique, style, and tone which steals the show. This is a good place to start if you want to hear the sound of a Freddie Hubbard poised to become the most popular trumpet player of the 1970s.

© 2000 - Ron Saranich