Product Code: WET30294482
Original price was: $26.00.$15.60Current price is: $15.60.Ready for Freddie, recorded in August 1961 at Van Gelder Studio and released in 1962 on Blue Note, captures Freddie Hubbard at the cusp of full creative maturity. The album assembles a striking ensembleincluding Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, McCoy Tyner on piano, Art Davis on bass, Elvin Jones on drums, and Bernard McKinney on euphoniumbringing depth and contrast to Hubbards bold trumpet voice. With compositions like Arietis, Birdlike, and Crisis, the record balances uptempo hard bop drive with lyrical balladry (Weaver of Dreams) and modal exploration. Producer Alfred Lion frames the session with clarity and space, ensuring each musicians contribution shines while maintaining a coherent group identity.
Ready for Freddie stands as an early classic in Hubbards discography and a lasting exemplar of post-bop ambition. Its title feels apt: the artist seems fully prepared to step into the forefront and stake his claim on jazzs evolving terrain. Though adventurous in its textures, the album never loses sight of its structural integrity, and its combination of technical brilliance and emotional resonance has earned it renewed appreciation among listeners and jazz historians alike.
Reviews
"Hubbard's sidemen all play up to par and this memorable session is highly recommended; it's one of the trumpeter's most rewarding Blue Note albums." AllMusic
Hubbards sidemen all play up to par and this memorable session is highly recommended; its one of the trumpeters most rewarding Blue Note albums. Album of the Year
Highly satisfying when taken as a whole, Ready for Freddie is the kind of consummately rendered product that might do more than merely satisfy usit might even have a lesson to teach us about our own potential. Sputnikmusic
A1 Arietis
A2 Weaver Of Dreams
A3 Marie Antoinette
B1 Birdlike
B2 Crisis
