Remembering Freddie Hubbard.

Remembering the great jazz trumpeter Freddie Hubbard - born on this day in 1938.

His career took off in 1958 when he moved to New York at the age of 20, and played with the likes of Sonny Rollins, Eric Dolphy and Quincy Jones. Three years later he played on Ornette Coleman’s pivotal album “Free Jazz”. This period also marked the start of his association with John Coltrane.

I know Hubbard best through the series of albums he recorded for Blue Note in the 1960s. As part of Blue Note’s revolving roster of musicians, he also played on albums by Herbie Hancock, Art Blakey, and Wayne Shorter.

Fast forward two decades and I saw Hubbard at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the London Jazz Festival. At one point he stepped away from the mic saying "I don't think we need this." His unmistakable tone rang out so beautiful and pure.