Hub of Hubbard

Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, whose Atlantic recordings had straddled the boundary between hard bop and the avant-garde, sticks to bebop on this excellent recording. Performing in a quintet with tenor-saxophonist Eddie Daniels (no clarinet this time), pianist Roland Hanna, bassist Richard Davis and drummer Louis Hayes, Hubbard is in top form on four selections: "Without a Song," a ridiculously uptempo "Just One of Those Things," "Blues for Duane" and a ballad rendition of "The Things We Did Last Summer." ~ Scott Yanow