\nStraight Life<\/i> really affected me when I first heard it.
\nThere is an atmosphere to it – part adventure, part funk, and some
\nsemi-normal jazz for the infernal purists. A streetwise feel
\ndominates the first two tracks – improvisation clearly was the
\nfocus rather than side effect. The grooves are so damn solid and
\nfunky that you realize this is not a jazz album at all. As to the
\naffect…okay, sounds stupid as hell…
\nStraight Life<\/i> makes you feel really cool. So not only does
\nFreddie Hubbard establish a unique atmosphere, he also manages to
\ntake you out of yourself and nearly establish a new attitude.<\/p>\n
I shouldn’t give Hubbard all the credit; here’s the highlights
\nof this incredible lineup…George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Ron
\nCarter, Joe Henderson, and Jack DeJohnette.<\/p>\n
I suppose I should mention that the album only consists of three
\ntracks. But that’s the nature of this form, and if listeners can
\napproach it as an adventure it becomes apparent why these are
\nnecessary lengths. Each song is an experience, and goes a long way
\nto expand the ever decreasing American attention span. It’s also a
\nnice way to protest the crap that passes for interesting music
\nthese days. Sure it’s 29 years old, but have you noticed how the
\nvintage stuff sounds so much more vital these days than say Eagle
\nEye Cherry or, dare I say it, 3rd Eye Blind (stifle your
\ngiggles!).<\/p>\n
The title track clocks in at 17:23, which sounds intimidating;
\nhowever, the first trills from Hubbard’s trumpet indicate this will
\nbe a different trip. Impeccable percussion combined with Ron
\nCarter’s granite-like foundation launches Hubbard into a
\nsurprisingly memorable melody. And that’s the key to
\nStraight Life<\/i>: this shit is accessible, you just don’t know
\nit.<\/p>\n
There’s melody here – and it’s in your face funky – rarified by
\nthe controlled fury of the cast. This is the kind of melody that
\nwill remain embedded in your cortex for more than an hour.
\n“Straight Life” has an almost Latin flavor to it. Henderson’s sax
\nsolo in the first five minutes explores the rhythm, flirting with
\nthe edges of it but remaining strong – then a hint of be-bop
\nfollowed by a squeal of agony or whatever it is you want it to
\nbe.<\/p>\n
Returning to relaxed vamp on the main theme, Benson begins his
\nsolo with his trademark ultra-tasty runs and hazardous scale work.
\nHis is a sound often imitated, but within this context, it becomes
\nsomething completely different. It’s tough.<\/p>\n
“Mr. Clean” is a dirge that is part blues and part Miles groove.
\nAgain it is up front in the soundstage, with an ominous twisted
\njazz feel hovering in the background. Hancock’s electric piano work
\nadds a
\nBitches Brew<\/i> feel to the rhythm – but as the album liner
\nnotes say, in contrast to
\nBitches Brew<\/i>, there are no doubled instruments here; no busy
\nrhythmic textures; these sounds are as immediate and catchy as pop
\ntunes.<\/p>\n
Benson solos over the intro, setting up Hubbard’s entrance. The
\nmelody is almost like a fanfare, with a lilting figure that sounds
\nso jazzy within the context of the groove. “Mr. Clean” is a modest
\n13 and a half minutes long, and follows much the same pattern as
\n“Straight Life”, in that it features opportunities for all the
\nplayers to solo over the main theme.<\/p>\n
The third track, “Here’s That Rainy Day”, is a standard that
\nHubbard, Carter and Benson beautifully recreate on flugelhorn,
\nbass, and electric guitar respectively. Considering the first two
\ngritty tracks, this standard is a modest and quiet way to say
\ngoodbye. It’s a soothing take, something that is almost necessary
\nafter the assault of the first two songs.<\/p>\n
Hubbard has had his ups and downs as a player, stooping to the
\nlevel of smooth jazz with some awful releases in the mid to late
\n70s and early 80s. In his prime there was a definitive artfulness
\nabout the way he played – he seems to have a natural gift for
\nmelody, and this makes even the long songs on
\nStraight Life<\/i> bearable to listeners with a modicum of
\nperception and interest in music. Fortunately CTI has re-released
\nStraight Life<\/i> in a beautifully packaged foldout. This one
\ncomes highly recommended.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":27311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[7254],"rating":[5646],"class_list":["post-38676","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-freddie-hubbard","rating-rating-a"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/38676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/38676\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27311"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=38676"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=38676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}