Freddie Hubbard - Live At The Northsea Jazz Festival, 1980 (2006)

Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard's recording career was rather aimless by 1980 but, as shown by his playing on this live date, he was still in prime form. Hubbard and his quintet (which consisted of tenor-saxophonist David Schnitter, keyboardist Billy Childs, bassist Larry Klein and drummer Sinclair Lott) play extended versions of five of his compositions plus "The Summer Knows" and "Impressions." Although these renditions of "First Light" and "Red Clay" will not make listeners forget the original versions, it is gratifying to hear the trumpeter really pushing himself. His reputation had been soiled by his Columbia funk albums but this set shows that in 1980 Hubbard had few competitors among trumpeters. It's well worth searching for.