Trumpeter Freddie Hendrix has a hard bopper’s dna, and he wears it well on his sleeve here with his team of Bruce Williams/as-fl, Abraham Burton/ts, David Gibson/tb, Brandon McCune/p, Corcoran Holt/b and Cecil Brooks III/dr. Over half the songs are his own compositions, and they are lots of fun. He hits hard on the boogalooing “The Journey Man” and bounces with class on the medium tempo “On The Rise” Burton’s tenor works well on the sly groove of the title track, and Williams’ flute is fluffy on Horace Silver’s “Peace.” Any piece by Freddie Hubbard, such as “Hubtones” here, is red meat for a guy like Hendrix and he gobbles it up like a ravenous wolf while he sounds relaxed and melancholy with McCune on “You Don’t Know What Love Is.” This Jersey Cat has the heart of a lion.
Sunnyside Records