Track Listing

1. Straight Life
2. Mr. Clean
3. Here's That Rainy Day

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #61544 in Music
• Released on: 2008-03-01
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition
• Dimensions: .17 pounds

Customer Reviews

Swinging blowing session
Hubbard turned out a raft of forgettable records on the long-defunct CTI label, but "Straight Life" was a fine effort, an all-star session with a Latin-y feel that found all concerned in fine form.

The title cut is a 17-minute jam. Hubbard exploits the upper register throughout much of his solo, and Joe Henderson on tenor delivers a blistering attack that is one of the high points of the album. George Benson's guitar simmers things down to a bluesy boil and Herbie Hancock works out effectively on the electric piano, finding a Latin groove with percussionist Patato Valdez and the great drummer Jack DeJohnette.

"Mr. Clean" is another straight-ahead attack that allows Freddie to show off his chops. Henderson again gets off on tenor, with a hammering, almost percussive solo.

The album's mood relaxes with the finale, the standard "Here's That Rainy Day." Hubbard has never exhibited, for me, a great touch with ballads, and he fails to find the romance of the tune here. Henderson, unfortunately, lays out. Given his superb work on the sessions two burners, I found myself missing his sound on the ballad, a form with which he has always been very comfortable. On the plus side, Benson contributes some very tasteful comping on guitar.

"Straight Life" finds Hubbard poised at the edge of an unfortunate foray into sessions sweetened with strings, and even worse, tepid funk- and disco-flavored dates. Surrounded by longtime buddies (some of whom would unfortunately follow his subesequent path), he showed that when properly inspired, he could still blow the roof off.

electrifying!
Some jazz 'purists' love to bash this period in Freddie Hubbard's career. OK, its not his very finest... but are we going to consider everything after "Maiden Voyage", "Blues and the Abstract Truth" and assorted Art Blakey albums totally superfluous?? Well, perhaps the point could be made. Oh yeah, there's also some burning work with Dexter Gordon. But aesthetically, I take a different view... which is that the sessions for Red Clay and Straight Life, if not others, produced totally burning solo-work from Henderson, Hancock and Hubbard on most every track. I would further argue that Henderson was never better...at least on modal material. I seriously doubt he ever displayed more ferocity, endurance, and creative genius than here (true, he may have on live occasions). Any tenor enthusiast or player who doesn't give a close listen here (and on Red Clay) is making a mistake. The only disappointment is perhaps the tepid rendering of the ballad, and that there aren't more tracks to the session.

Slammin'...
This is one of the most hard hitting jazz albums I've ever heard. The band assembled for "Straight Life" pretty much explains why: Joe Henderson on sax, George Benson on guitar, Herbie Hancock on piano/keyboards, Ron Carter on bass, and Jack DeJohnette on drums. (Weldon Irvine is even given credit for playing tambourine!). Almost everyone that plays on this album had recorded with Miles Davis at some time or another, and Freddie Hubbard ended up with a monster of an album in incorporating all that talent into one group. The seventeen minute title track is awesome; all the instrumentalists are in top form and turn in inspired solos. Joe Henderson in particular blew me away on this song. His solos are ridiculous here; I have some of his solo stuff and his playing on those discs doesn't compare to how he played here. George Benson also is a standout with his creative solo and occasional flurries of notes. Jack DeJohnette lays down a solid beat throughout. "Mr Clean" was written by Weldon Irvine (also worth checking out is Irvine's own version from the album "Liberated Brother", if you can find a copy) and continues the rapid fire soloing and mood of track one. Hubbard's playing throughout this song is fluid and fiery. "Here's That Rainy Day" slows things down but ends the album on a pleasant note. This was one of the first CD's by Freddie Hubbard that I ever got and has remained one of my favorites. If you are a fan of jazz in any form I can't recommend this disc enough.