Remembering Freddie Hubbard

Freddie Hubbard, one of the great trumpet players in jazz and a native of Indiana (born in Indianapolis on April 7, 1938), died yesterday (December 29) at the age of 70. Ted Gioia described Hubbard’s technique in The History of Jazz: “his trumpet playing was fiery, propelled by insistent rhythms, but also softened by a warm, full tone.” When he was honored by his hometown, Hubbard proudly commented: “Man, they gave me a key to the city. Can you imagine going back to Indiana and getting the key to the city? So that made me feel pretty good.” Certainly, one can safely say Freddie Hubbard’s music has made many of us feel pretty good and, as the accompanying video verifies, it will continue to do so.