freddie hubbard - thermo (live in berlin, 1985)
compared to many of the other jazz greats of his era, i really like how freddie’s style maintained and even progressed over the decades as the styles around him changed. in this and his other solos from the later years of the century, he solos with the frantic bebop style that made him famous at a young age and got him jobs with wes montgomery, coltrane, herbie, art blakey, eric dolphy, wayne shorter, etc., but also with a fullness of tone and astounding range, both of which often leave older musicians’ repertoires. just listen to the section around 1:25 if you feel like shitting all over the place. you’ll have no choice but to feel good when seeing his totally genuine smile at 1:52 at the end of his solo.
you can check out another recording from of his same concert here, performing the gerry mulligan classic ‘bernie’s tune’ along with dizzy gillespie.
