180g Vinyl LP Remastering by Ray Staff at Air Mastering, Lyndhurst Hall, London

In the pantheon of jazz trumpeters, Freddie Hubbard stands as one of the boldest and most inventive artists of the bop, hard-bop and post-bop eras. Although influenced by titans like Miles Davis and Clifford Brown, Hubbard ultimately forged his own unique sound – a careful balance of bravado and subtlety that fueled more than fifty solo recordings and countless collaborations with some of the most prominent jazz artists of his era.

After a series of strong releases on Blue Note and a stint with the Jazz Messengers in the '60s, Hubbard enjoyed his greatest popular success in the 1970s with a series of crossover albums on Atlantic and CTI Records. His early ‘70s jazz albums for CTI – Red Clay (1970), Straight Life (1970) and First Light (1971) – were particularly well received with the latter taking home a Grammy for Best Instrumental Jazz Performance.

First Light finds the trumpeter joined by guitarists Eric Gale and George Benson, pianists Herbie Hancock and Richard Wyands, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Jack DeJohnette and percussionist Airto Moreira amidst elegant string arrangements by Don Sebesky, a first for Hubbard thus the title. From the sizzling title track to a melodic take on Paul and Linda McCartney's "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" to a lovely rendition of the Mancini/Mercer standard "Moment To Moment," First Light is first-rate!

Musicians:
Freddie Hubbard (trumpet)
George Benson (guitar)
Eric Gale (guitar)
Ron Carter (bass)
Herbie Hancock (piano)
Richard Wyands (piano)
Jack DeJohnette (drums)
Airto Moreira (percussion)