Freddie Hubbard - Jazz Profile (1997)

Culled from Hubbard's run of fine Blue Note albums from the first half of the '60s, Jazz Profile offers newcomers to the trumpeter's work a chance to hear him in his varied prime. Nicely complimenting Blue Note's other Hubbard samplers, Ballads and The Best of Freddie Hubbard, this eight-track set cherry-picks sides from such fine dates as Hub Cap, Breaking Point, and Goin' Up. And besides four quality Hubbard originals ("Arietis," "Jodo," etc.), the collection features excellent contributions by Wayne Shorter ("Hammer Head") and Kenny Dorham ("Karioka"). Shorter is also part of the mammoth array of hard bop royalty heard here, which also includes Jimmy Heath, Curtis Fuller, Hank Mobley, Herbie Hancock, and McCoy Tyner. A perfect way to get started on your Hubbard collection~Jazz Profile Review by Stephen Cook