Thinking about jazz
Freddie Hubbard: Big Bop Trumpet
Presented by Michael Thomas
Topic: Thinking About Jazz - Freddie Hubbard: Big Bop Trumpet
June 24, 2023, 1-3pm (via Zoom)
Frederick Dewayne Hubbard was born on April 7, 1938 in Indianapolis and began playing mellophone and trumpet at Arsenal Technical High School there. He then studied at Arthur Jordan Conservatory (now part of Butler University) and worked locally with Wes and Monk Montgomery as well as Larry Ridley and James Spaulding. In 1958 he moved to New York and began playing with jazz greats Sonny Rollins, Philly Joe Jones, Slide Hampton, Eric Dolphy, J.J. Johnson and Quincy Jones. In 1960 he made his first record with Blue Note (Open Sesame); the next year he released Ready for Freddie, his first collaboration with Wayne Shorter. The two became bandmates when Hubbard replaced Lee Morgan in Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers for a five-year run, one of the most productive of that group’s history. In 1966 he formed the first of several of his own ensembles, moving away from the early influence of Clifford Brown and Lee Morgan to develop his own sound. He was described as the most brilliant trumpeter of a generation of musicians who stood with one foot in the “tonal” group and the other in the “atonal” sector. His greatest popular success came in the 1970s; in ’72 he won a Grammie for First Light. In 1977 he joined the super-group, V.S.O.P., with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. In the 1980s he was again leading his own groups playing widely in the U.S. and Europe. Following a long stretch of bad health and a serious lip injury leading to a bad infection in 1972, he was again playing and recording occasionally. In 2006 he received the NEA’ Jazz Masters Award. He died December 28, 2008 in California leaving a body of amazing work and a multitude of adoring fans. Trumpet master and admirer, Michael Thomas will bring this fascinating story to life for us.
Zoom link will be distributed the week right before the event. Call the Church office on 202-484-7700 or Rev. Brian 202-641-8220 for further information.