"Red Clay/Straight Life/First Light Plus Two Bonuses" by FREDDIE HUBBARD – Three US Albums from June 1970, March and December 1971 all on CTI Records featured guests include Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, George Benson, Joe DeJohnette, Hubert Laws and Lenny White (July 2014 UK Beat Goes On (BGO) Compilation - 3LPs onto 2CDs with Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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Rating: *****

"…Playing It Straight..."

By the time Freddie Hubbard hit 1970, he'd already clocked up a staggering 21 albums or so since his Blue Note Records debut "Open Sesame" in 1960 – two and three at a time on Blue Note, Impulse and Atlantic Records. Time for a new chapter...a new stretch and a new label...

Produced by Blue Note's legendary sound engineer Rudy Van Gelder – Trumpeter FREDDIE HUBBARD saw his first three albums for CTI Records (Creed Taylor Inc) released in 1970 and 1971 and this superb Beat Goes On 2CD compilation does those three Jazz and Fusion pieces a solid. Here are the Prog-intrepid details…

UK released July 2014 – "Red Clay/Straight Life/First Light Plus Bonuses" by FREDDIE HUBBARD on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1154 (Barcode 5017261211545) is a 2CD Compilation of Remasters containing 3LPs that plays out as follows: 

CD1 (66:54 minutes):
1. Red Clay
2. Delphia
3. Suite Sioux 
4. The Intrepid Fox
Tracks 1 to 4 are the album "Red Clay" – released June 1970 in the USA on CTI Records CTI 6001 

5. Cold Turkey (a cover version of a John Lennon song and is a Bonus Track)
6. Straight Life 

Tracks 5 and 6 are Side 1 of the album "Straight Life" – released March 1971 in the USA on CTI Records CTI 6007

CD2 (78:12 minutes):
1. Mr. Clean
2. Here’s That Rainy day

Tracks 5 and 6 are Side 2 of the album "Straight Life" – released March 1971 in the USA on CTI Records CTI 6007

3. First Light
4. Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey
5. Moment To Moment 
6. Yesterday’s Dreams
7. Lonely Town
Tracks 3 to 7 are the album "First Light" – released December 1971 in the USA on CTI Records CTI 6013 

BONUS TRACKS:

8. Fantasy In D

9. First Light (Alternate)

 

For "Red Clay" Hubbard's band consisted of HERBIE HANCOCK on Piano, JOE HENDERSON on Saxophone, RON CARTER on Bass and LENNY WHITE on Drums. For "Straight Life" - JOE DeJOHNETTE replaced Lenny White on Drums and added GEORGE BENSON on Guitar - while the "First Light" sessions kept the "Straight Up" line-up but also added HUBERT LAWS on Flute as well as a host of other Horn and Vibe players. 

The 16-page booklet features liner notes by noted musicologist CHARLES WARRING and new interviews with Lenny White about the harrowing recording session with his Jazz heroes in every corner of the studio (he was only in his early twenties). The outer card wrap also lends these BGO reissues a feeling of class – but truth be told – I really miss the gorgeous artwork of those glossy hard-card gatefold sleeves that caught your eye and made you part with cash. The tiny pictures of them don't do the aesthetic feel of those original vinyl gems any real justice. Shame that. But as ever with BGO – making up for any shortcomings is the fantastic remastered sound…

As you can imagine the Rudy Van Gelder production values on these contemporary Jazz pieces are immaculate throughout and ANDREW THOMPSON's 2014 remasters bring this to very much to the fore – each cut is warm, clear as a bell and full of presence. The beautiful "Dolphins" (from "Red Clay") is presented to us with such delicacy – it's a joy to the ear. Hubbard also dug his Beatles Solo work – the 10-minute outtake on John Lennon's "Cold Turkey" is suitably jagged, manic and a brilliant slightly Proggy-interpretation of an awkward song - while Paul McCartney's 1971 "Ram" album centrepiece "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" retains the original's whimsy and pretty melody (nicely mixing in strings with the Trumpet to give a sort of "I Am The Walrus" effect). And the two outtakes from "First Light" are real finds too - fully formed nuggets worthy of the tag Bonus. 

Like so many others - Hubbard would go further down the more commercial crossover route of Jazz Fusion on the albums that followed - "Keep Your Soul Together" (1973) and "Polar AC" (1975) – his next phase with the iconic CTI label - who England's BGO has also issued as a stacked-and-racked 2CD compilation (see separate review). 

"Red Clay/Straight Life/First Light Plus Bonuses" by Freddie Hubbard is a beautifully done comp offering three great albums and two highly respectable bonuses into the twofer bargain. So, despite missing that fab artwork - another BGOCD set that is wholeheartedly recommended…