Recorded in 1962,
Ready for Freddie is one of the finest moments on record for the young
Freddie Hubbard. Just 24 at the time of the session,
Hubbard shows an incredible confidence as a leader with a hotshot group of players:
Wayne Shorter,
Elvin Jones,
McCoy Tyner, and Detroit's
Bernard McKinney on euphonium. With a solid hard bop framework, some of
Hubbard's later funkiness enters into his playing and charts on "Crisis," and his beautiful, elongated lines are showcased on "Arietis." Along with the
Hubbard tunes,
Shorter contributes his beautiful "Marie Antoinette" to the session, and the gorgeous group playing on "Weaver of Dreams" was a high point for the label during that calendar year. But the real dazzler is the flying tempo of
Hubbard's "Birdlike." His and
Shorter's solos are as dizzying as they are complex. The 2004
Rudy Van Gelder edition is remastered, of course, and contains the same two tracks that were on the Japanese version: alternates of "Arietis" and "Marie Antoinette." This is a great
Hubbard date and should not be missed by anyone interested in his work for Blue Note or in hard bop in general. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide