Blue Spirits, Freddie Hubbard

Recorded in 1965 and originally released on Blue Note, Blue Spirits captures Freddie Hubbard at the peak of his hard bop powers while simultaneously reaching toward the more adventurous sounds beginning to reshape jazz in the mid-60s. Hubbard's trumpet playing here is breathtaking — brilliant technique married to deep soulfulness, equally at home in the burning, straight-ahead swing of Crisis and the more open, exploratory passages that hint at the avant-garde currents of the era. The ensemble, featuring James Spaulding, Harold Mabern, Larry Ridley, and Clifford Jarvis, is tight and responsive throughout.

Though somewhat overlooked compared to Hubbard's more celebrated Blue Note dates, Blue Spirits is a hidden gem of the label's golden era — a record that rewards patient listeners with one of the most exciting trumpet voices in jazz history doing exactly what he did best.

The Tone Poet Series from Blue Note is among the most respected reissue programs in vinyl today, overseen by producer Joe Harley and pressed at QRP on 180-gram vinyl from all-analog signal chains. Every detail of the original Van Gelder recording is preserved with stunning authenticity.