Freddie Hubbard Quartet Live at the Brussels Jazz Club

Freddie Hubbard’s tone is simply unmistakable for listeners who saw him live. Here, in 1981, he plays alongside his quartet that included the Jazz Messengers veteran David Schnitter on sax, a young Larry Klein who went on to perform with artists as varied as Bob Dylan, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Bobby McFerrin, and Billy Childs who has since arranged for the likes of Sting, Michael Bublé and Gladys Knight. 

A formidable line-up, one that got a serious workout that evening following the blistering speed of Hubbard’s trumpet as he spewed forth fiery licks containing hard-pop tinged with jazz-funk and his own, fearless charisma. They only performed three long-form tracks, two Hubbard originals in “Skagly” and “Happiness Is Now,” before “Impressions” in honor of the great John Coltrane, with whom he played on three albums from 1961-65.