Freddie Hubbard - Sky Dive (1972)
MP3 | 320Kbps | RS.com | 80mb + 25mb | Cover | Genre: Jazz

Allmusic.com:
Freddie Hubbard has always been a trumpet player of great facility, suppleness, and polish. Following his breakthrough with the Jazz Messengers in the late ’50s, his burnished tone became a focal point of innumerable Blue Note albums of the ’60s, both as leader and sideman. After a foray into fusion in the ’70s, he returned to the hard bop of his early career.

Freddie Hubbard’s fourth CTI recording (and the second one with Don Sebesky arrangements) certainly has a diverse repertoire. In addition to his originals “Povo” and “Sky Dive” (both of which are superior jam tunes), the trumpeter stretches out on the theme from The Godfather and Bix Beiderbecke’s “In a Mist.” The charts for the brass and woodwinds are colorful; there is a fine supporting cast that includes guitarist George Benson, Keith Jarrett on keyboards, and flutist Hubert Laws; and Hubbard takes several outstanding trumpet solos. ~ Scott Yanow

Cduniverse.com:
1972’s SKY DIVE was the fourth record released by Freddie Hubbard on the ’70s powerhouse jazz label CTI. Hubbard is showcased here with a who’s-who of great funk-fusion players, including Billy Cobham on drums, George Benson on guitar, and the extraordinary Keith Jarret on keyboards, just to name a few. These sessions were recorded live at Van Gelder studios and produced by Creed Taylor, using a now famous sound that brought so many jazz artists of the time to a wider circle of listeners. The tunes here cover quite a range, from Hubbard’s own “Povo” and “Sky Dive” to the strange, ethereal “In a Mist,” by Bix Beiderbecke. There is also an unexpected version of the theme to THE GODFATHER. The sound on this recording is stunning, with complex, layered arrangements that attest to the groundbreaking work done at CTI in the ’70s.

Amazon.com reviewer:
Along with Keep Your Soul Together and In Concert (w/Stanley Turrentine), this album was one of Freddie Hubbard’s last good albums before he signed to Columbia and started putting out commercial schlock. For starters, just look at the band on this date: George Benson, Hubert Laws, Keith Jarrett, Ron Carter, and Billy Cobham plus the usual extended cast of CTI studio musicians. Few bassists can lay down the funk tastefully like Carter, and his intro on “Povo” will make you say “Good Gracious!” For groove addicts like myself, this and the title track are alone worth the price of the album. There aren’t too many surprises on Sky Dive, and it lacks the fire of Hubbard’s earlier masterpieces Straight Life and Red Clay, but it’s a real treat to hear all these guys coming up with some creative, funky music before things descended into disco hell. By the way, this is also great driving music.

Personnel: Freddie Hubbard (trumpet); Alan Rubin, Marvin Stamm (trumpet, flugelhorn); Wayne Andre, Garnett Brown (trombone); Paul Faulise (bass trombone); Tony Price (tuba); Phil Bodner (piccolo, flute, alto & bass flutes, bass clarinet); Wally Kane (piccolo, bass clarinet); Hubert Laws (flute, alto & bass flutes); George Marge (flute, alto flute, clarinet, bass clarinet); Romeo Penque (flute, alto flute, clarinet, oboe, English horn); Keith Jarrett (acoustic & electric pianos); George Benson (guitar); Ron Carter (bass); Billy Cobham (drums); Ray Barretto, Airto Moreira (percussion).

Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on October 4 & 5, 1972.

Tracks:
1. Povo
2. In A Mist
3. Naturally
4. Godfather, The - (from “The Godfather”)
5. Sky Dive
6. Naturally - (previously unreleased, alternate take)

Download here part1

Download here part2