The Indianapolis-born trumpeter Freddie Hubbard introduced his prodigious talent on Blue Note Records with a run of remarkable albums recorded thru the early 1960s. At first, rooted firmly in hard bop, Hubbard began to broaden his approach on his masterworkReady for Freddie, recorded in August 1961. The way in which Im most interested in going is Coltrane-like, Hubbard told liner note writer Nat Hentoff. Hubbard had recorded with Coltrane earlier in the year on the saxophonists Atlantic albumOl ColtraneandAfrica/Brassfor Impulse. Hubbard further explained, I mean different ways of playing the changes so that you get a wider play of colors. To paint with those colors Hubbard assembled a band that included three musicians from Coltranes orbit: bassist Art Davis, pianist McCoy Tyner, and drummer Elvin Jones. The date also marked the first collaboration between Hubbard and Wayne Shorter, a startlingly original saxophonist and Hubbards soon-to-be bandmate in The Jazz Messengers when the trumpeter replaced Lee Morgan in Art Blakeys flagship band later that year on seminal Blue Note albums includingMosaicandBuhainas Delight. Rounding out the unique sextet onReady for Freddieis Bernard McKinney on euphonium, a mellow-toned brass instrument that enhanced the ensembles tonal palette. The album opens with Hubbards sprightly tune Arietis, a nod to his astrological sign Aries, before down-shifting into the sublime ballad Weaver of Dreams, a stunning performance by Hubbard where both his brilliant tone and awe-inspiring technical command of his horn are on full display. Following Shorters jaunty tune Marie Antoinette, the band pays homage to Charlie Parker with Hubbards fleet-footed tune Birdlike. The album comes to a close with the expansive and explosive Crisis, a Hubbard original that sought to capture some of the simmering tensions of the early-1960s.

This Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is all-analog, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.