Artist: Freddie Hubbard Album: A Soul Experiment

Year: 1969
Duration: 0:0-1

A Soul Experiment: An Honest Critique of Freddie Hubbard's Album

Freddie Hubbard is one of jazz music's legends, a multifaceted artist whose career spanned over 50 years and whose influence touched upon countless musicians. One of his most praised records is A Soul Experiment, released in 1969. As the title suggests, this album was an experiment for the trumpeter, who wanted to blend soul music with his jazz background. In this blog post, I will review A Soul Experiment, providing a brief history of Freddie Hubbard, the music genre of the album, the best songs, the most innovative parts and a heartfelt critique of the album.

Freddie Hubbard was born in Indiana in 1938, and started his professional career touring with R&B bands. He then moved to New York and played with legendary jazz musicians such as John Coltrane, Art Blakey, and Herbie Hancock. Hubbard's trumpet playing was unmatchable, characterized by his fast and precise runs, a smooth tone, and inventive phrasing. A Soul Experiment was his penultimate album for Atlantic Records, and it showcased his desire to blend jazz and soul music genres.

The album provides an excellent example of the genre dubbed jazz-funk, combining the groovy rhythms of soul music with complex harmonic structures of jazz music. One can listen to Freddie Hubbard's masterful trumpet solos, which are fluid and almost effortless, and his band's tight rhythm section. The album features many cover songs of soul classics, such as Am I Blue, Ari Maurice, and The Return of the Prodigal Son, but the real highlight of the record is Hubbard's original composition, Soul Turnaround, which pays homage to the funk grooves of James Brown.

The best songs of the album, aside from Soul Turnaround, are Little Sunflower, Lonely Town, and Here's That Rainy Day. Each one of these tracks showcases Hubbard's ability to blend jazz phrasing and soulful melodies seamlessly. Little Sunflower is particularly noteworthy for its lush harmonies, and Hubbard's solo, which starts tenderly and slowly builds up in intensity. Meanwhile, Lonely Town is a slow ballad that highlights the trumpet's warmer side, leaving room for the rest of the band to shine with their solos.

The most innovative part of A Soul Experiment is the creative use of brass sections, perfectly blending with the rest of the instrumentation. Instead of the typical big band sound, the brass section here adds texture to the music, providing a pleasant change for the ear. In Hubbard's Soul Turnaround, the brass section is used to create a kind of call-and-response effect with the rest of the band, adding even more dynamic to the already groovy tune.

Although A Soul Experiment is a great album, its flaws cannot be ignored. The record seems to suffer from a lack of cohesion and focus, as if Hubbard was pulled in different creative directions. Some of the covers don't quite find their stride and don't add up to the musical experiment Hubbard was striving for. Despite its overall excellent musicianship, the album could have benefited from a more straightforward approach and a more rigidly defined concept.

In conclusion, A Soul Experiment is an album that deserves recognition for the bold effort of blending jazz and soul music. Freddie Hubbard's musicianship is unparalleled, and his band members give his music strength and luscious textures. The album's most memorable tracks showcase Hubbard's artistry in both composition and execution. However, the lack of cohesion in the album's concept and the execution of some of the covers expose its weaknesses. Overall, A Soul Experiment is a record worth listening to, for its daring experimental genres and Freddie Hubbard's remarkable mastery of the trumpet.

In conclusion, A Soul Experiment is an album that deserves recognition for the bold effort of blending jazz and soul music. Freddie Hubbard's musicianship is unparalleled, and his band members give his music strength and luscious textures. The album's most memorable tracks showcase Hubbard's artistry in both composition and execution. However, the lack of cohesion in the album's concept and the execution of some of the covers expose its weaknesses. Overall, A Soul Experiment is a record worth listening to, for its daring experimental genres and Freddie Hubbard's remarkable mastery of the trumpet.