“Blue Spirits” is a critically important album in the jazz world, released in 1965 by legendary trumpeter Freddie Hubbard. It played a pivotal role in the evolution of post-bop and avant-garde jazz. The album features a stellar lineup of musicians, including Joe Henderson, Herbie Hancock, and Tony Williams, all at the peak of their creative powers. The compositions and performances on “Blue Spirits” are marked by innovation and boundary-pushing, showcasing a blend of hard bop, modal jazz, and free jazz elements.

Hubbard’s searing trumpet work and Henderson’s tenor saxophone prowess, in particular, stand out, pushing the boundaries of conventional jazz improvisation. The album’s title track, in particular, has become a jazz standard, noted for its fiery energy and adventurous solos. “Blue Spirits” represents a significant moment in the transition from the traditional to the avant-garde in jazz, influencing subsequent generations of musicians and contributing to the genre’s ongoing artistic exploration. It serves as a testament to the creative ferment of the 1960s and the enduring impact of this era on the evolution of jazz.

This book is part of a series of complete album transcriptions of Freddie Hubbard’s incredible catalog by Erik Veldkamp. See them all at this link, see the song list and album review below, and view samples to the left. Then, grab yourself an immediate digital download above.

Song List

Soul Surge
Blue Spirits
Outer Forces
Cunga Black
Jodo
The Melting Pot
True Colors (….was too difficult to transcribe…or play)

Album Review

Freddie Hubbard’s last Blue Note release of the 1960s (with the exception of the blowing session The Night of the Cookers), adds two numbers to the original LP program and features the great trumpeter in three challenging settings ranging from a sextet to an octet. Hubbard uses such sidemen as altoist James Spaulding, tenors Joe Henderson and Hank Mobley, the euphonium of Kiane Zawadi, pianists Harold Mabern, McCoy Tyner and Herbie Hancock, bassists Larry Ridley, Bob Cranshaw and Reggie Workman, drummers Clifford Jarvis, Pete La Roca and Elvin Jones, the congas of Big Black and on one song bassoonist Hosea Taylor. The set is comprised of seven diverse Hubbard originals, and the music is quite challenging and very memorable.