This is a complete note-for-note album transcription of Freddie Hubbard’s sophomore record “Goin’ UP.” For his second recording as a leader, trumpeter Freddie Hubbard performs two compositions apiece by Kenny Dorham and Hank Mobley, the obscure “I Wished I Knew,” and his own “Blues for Brenda.” Hubbard, along with tenor saxophonist Mobley, pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Paul Chambers, and drummer Philly Joe Jones, takes quite outstanding solos, playing lyrically on the ballads and building his own sound out of the Clifford Brown/Lee Morgan tradition.

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 sound list and album review below, and samples to the left. Then, grab yourself an immediate digital download above.

Song List

1. Asiatic Raes (Kenny Dorham) (6:43)
2. The Changing Scene (Hank Mobley) (3:46)
3. Karioka (Kenny Dorham) (6:12)
4. A Peck a Sec. (Hank Mobley) (5:46)
5. I Wished I Knew (Billy Smith) (7:45)
6. Blues for Brenda (Freddie Hubbard) (6:49)

Album Review

Freddie Hubbard’s sophomore session as a leader features a few John Coltrane associates (past and future) plus the smooth-as-butter Hank Mobley on tenor sax. It’s a different affair than his first, Open Sesame, with a more soulful approach that focuses less on speed (though there’s still plenty of that) and more on feel. Mobley is also a better match for Freddie than Tina Brooks; the way the pair interlock on the melodies for Blues for Brenda and Asiatic Raes is pure joy.

Goin’ Up includes two compositions from fellow horn player, Kenny Dorham, “Asiatic Raes” (which had appeared most recently on Sonny Rollins’ classic album, Newk’s Time) and the previously unrecorded Karioka. The first song sets the tone for the album’s melodic hard bop sound, while the latter would have felt more at home on Freddie’s frenetic first album. Hank Mobley also contributes two originals, The Changing Scene and A Peck a Sec. “The Changing Scene,” with its thoughtful blues mood, shows Hubbard fully capable of smoldering when he’s not playing like a man on fire.

Goin’ Up ends on a strong pair of tracks: the lovely I Wished I Knew (which gets my vote for the session’s standout track) and a Hubbard original, “Blues for Brenda.” While Hubbard and Mobley are the focal points, the rhythm section is top shelf. Philly Joe Jones can knock you over with a pair of brushes (as he does on “I Wished I Knew”), Paul Chambers (a man who needs no introduction to Coltrane fans) plays the perfect straight man on this session and McCoy Tyner is equally adept at finding the melody in a difficult song and the difficulty in a melodic one.

Hard bop aficionados will want to check out Goin’ Up just for the talent in attendance. Personally, I enjoy this album more than Hubbard’s first, although they’re very different records in some ways. I get the sense that Hubbard was less interested in showing what he could do on this session, and more focused on feeling the music. Some critics regard this as one of Hubbard’s best albums, but I’ve got a lot more listening to do before I make that assessment.